Dark Energy 3: End of Days
by Melaradark
Summary: The third in the Dark Energy Series. Covering the events of ME3 w/alternate 'fix-it' ending, follow renegade Del Shepard as she struggles to unite a galaxy...and stop a threat greater than anyone has ever before known. Rated M for language, violence.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Wow, hard to believe we're already at DE3, isn't it? Just a few things before we begin…

For my established readers, thank you for following Del's story thus far. Hopefully I can continue to deliver an interesting tale for your perusal, and I cannot thank you enough for joining me on this ride. When I started DE, I did it as a simple lark, unsure where I was going to take it or even if I would bother to finish it. The reaction was so overwhelmingly positive from the start, it actually shocked (and continues to shock) me. I was certain almost nobody would even read it and if they did, almost nobody was sure to like it. Apparently, I was incorrect…and that positivity spurred me to continue writing. Of course, on the way, I fell in love with Del and her extended family and I feel now it would be a horrible disservice to her not to finish her story…so even if everyone stopped reading, I'd probably still keep writing.

I'm too afraid Shepard would hunt me down with that sniper of hers if I didn't.

For newcomers who have stumbled on this by accident or read about this on a forum somewhere…welcome to DE Few quick points…my Shepard is female, potty-mouthed, renegade, and in a relationship with Liara. She smokes cigars, drinks far too much, plays the guitar, and spouts Chinese when the mood strikes her (she is not, however, Chinese…she is in fact predominantly Native American). She head-butts Krogan, has a temper you do _not_ want to get started, and does random shit like light her cigars with the pilot of a flame-thrower.

Some call her the Space Cowboy. Some call her the Gangsta of Love. No one, however, calls her Maurice.

**crickets**

Anywho, my suggestion as always is to read DE1 and DE2 before diving in to 3.

To everyone:

I will continue to write left-of-canon. If I notably change something or make a 'mistake', most likely it is on purpose. On the rare occasion it's not…whoops. I will be following the events of ME3, however I will be adding my own missions and flavor and scenes as the urge strikes me.

I write on the assumption that the reader has at least played the games. I do not go out of my way to explain the universe of Mass Effect and I make absolutely no apologies for spoilers. If you haven't yet, play the games first. Otherwise…enter at your own risk.

Yes. Yoh Etat will be back, probably for his most significant role yet. I knew you'd enjoy that

This will be the longest DE story yet. It will also…if I do it correctly…be the most emotional. So be ready for that.

Lessee…what else…OH! Yes.

I WILL BE CHANGING THE ENDING.

That's right. Unless Bioware's upcoming DLC significantly alters what they put out with the game…in an enormously positive way...I will be changing things quite significantly.

Del ain't going down like that. Three colors and a transparent Haley Joel Osment my _ass_.

Final note: For those that don't know…no, this is not written already. I am writing this 'live'. Each day a chapter gets posted, that chapter was written _that day_, gone through a quick re-read and spell-check, and then posted. I find I do my best writing with this method rather than planning too much ahead.

I rarely if ever post on weekends, but for the most part, a new chapter will go up daily, Mon-Fri.

That said, some scenes coming up in DE3 _are_ planned. In fact, I've done more planning for this story than I have for any other story I've ever written before. Mostly because the ending of the game forced me to come up with my _own_ ending. Even so, these planned scenes are fluid and subject to change at my smallest whim…and I'm pretty whimsical.

One small warning about this chapter in particular…it gets a little…harsh. There are vague allusions to the rape of a minor and some other things so…just be aware.

Well, I'm sure I've probably forgotten a few things I wanted to say, but I'm also pretty sure you're sick of me talking by now and want to get your focus where it should be…on DE3. So let's get started, shall we?

One final, minor detail:

Yes. I am **still** a girl.

* * *

**Dark Energy: End of Days**

* * *

Conquer we shall, but we must first contend;  
_'Tis not the fight that crowns us, but the end_.

If well thou hast begun, go on fore-right;  
_It is the end that crowns us, not the fight_. –Robert Herrick

I will never surrender  
We'll free the Earth and sky  
Crush my heart into embers  
And I will reignite...

~Malukah

* * *

_Twenty years ago, New York City, Earth_

The wrist beneath her hand was all hard angles, bone bound with thin, sinewy muscle that spoke of starvation, malnutrition. Still, there was remarkable power in it, easily felt as she grabbed it and stopped its forward swing.

"Del, _none of that_," Nancy Salgado admonished firmly when the girl's burnished eyes snapped to her. "Iro was just moving it, he wasn't going to take it."

The scrawny twelve year old glared at her, narrow and depthless. Nancy looked right back, unwavering, and after a moment, the girl pulled her hand back with a gruff nod.

The boy, Iro, was easily two years older than Del and had a foot in height on her. Even so, his expression spoke of pure nervous fear. When Nancy nodded at him, he carefully slid the hoody over to the side, giving him room to sit at the bench as well.

Shepard had been given the hoody shortly after arriving at the Institute. Her clothes were tattered and ill-fitting, as they were for most of the kids delivered there. Her entire life she had been forced to steal or salvage everything, clothing as well as food. The hoody was the first thing she'd ever just been _given_…and as law on the street dictated, anything hers she fiercely defended. Iro's innocent motion had nearly earned him a thrashing.

Nancy nodded as the girl relaxed, then set the tray of food down in front of her. Del was trying, she could see…but she had only been with them a few days and Nan expected no miracles. Old habits would die hard, if they died at _all_…that much was evident in the way Del still pulled the hoody protectively to her side and then huddled almost vulture-like over her tray, guarding her food as if someone were going to walk up and start snatching it off the tray.

That was, of course, exactly what she feared would happen.

As Nancy returned to the counter, one of the other nurses looked at her. "Are you sure that one is ready to be in gen-pop?" she asked.

"A lack of socialization can only be cured by socialization, Rhonda, you know that."

"I do, but you're taking a big risk. Her first reaction to anything is to fight it. I've seen as many kids come through here as you have…you know that look in her eyes, Nan. She's a murder ready to happen."

"You know, sweetie, ninety-nine times out of one hundred I would say you were right," Nancy agreed, leaning on the counter and looking over at the defensive, dark-haired young girl as she shoveled her food into her mouth. "There's something different about this one, though. Something in her eyes I haven't seen in a long, long time."

"What's that?"

"Not sure. Can't put my finger on it, but it's there. She's a good girl down deep. Got a brain on her, and a heart."

"That fight in the day room just yesterday morning? Broke Alia's nose, blacked her eye…like to have killed her if the orderlies hadn't pulled her off. Even then, she was fighting like a tiger caught by the tail. If you hadn't come in…you know you're the only one that can do anything with her."

"Because I see her as more than an animal and she knows it," Nancy responded, glancing at her co-worker. "Do you know _why_ she attacked Alia?"

"No, I didn't hear that part."

"Alia took it upon herself to liberate Carl's sketch-pad. Del was on the other side of the room when it happened. Carl didn't even have a chance to protest. The moment Alia took it from him that girl was across the room, over the table, and had her on the ground. That's what I mean when I say she's got a heart, Rhonda. She's goes about it the wrong way, but she looks out for the small ones, takes on the bullies."

Nan's eyes shifted affectionately back toward the girl that had been there less than a week and yet had made such a solid impression upon her. "She looks out for the small ones. Only fair that someone in this world's got to look out for _her_."

* * *

_Alliance Bonneville Detention Center, Earth, Present Day_

Nancy Salgado held tightly to the weeping Del Shepard as they both knelt in the center of the devastated office, whispering softly to her. Behind her, she heard boots entering, and released her hold with one hand long enough to wave sternly. Anderson approached, gesturing at the armed soldiers to hang back while indicating to Wyatt to accompany him.

The psychiatrist hurried over to the scattered mess of medical equipment and files and retrieved a small case, opening it and withdrawing a syringe. Tugging the cap off with his teeth he strode to the two women and crouched down, obviously preparing to sedate the commander. Catching sight of him, Nancy sternly shook her head, brushing his hand back.

"No, none of that, not right now," she urged. "I've got her."

He nodded somewhat warily, recapping the syringe and tucking it in his pocket before he reached out, helping both to climb to their feet. As he touched Shepard's arm she seemed to jump a little, drawing slightly back from Nan before all fight seemed to simply wash out of her.

Loosening her hold, Nancy wiped her hands over Shepard's cheeks, peering into her half-lidded, reddened eyes, brows knit with loving concern.

"All right, it's probably a good idea if we get her back to her room now," Wyatt told Anderson. As the Admiral waved the wary lieutenant further into the room, Wyatt reached out and lightly touched Shepard's forearm. "Come on, this-"

There seemed to be no warning, and yet Nancy anticipated the motion a breath before it occurred. She flung an arm around Del's shoulders at almost the same instant the woman went from limp to thundering fury once again, her entire body seeming to compact and then explode forth in wrath. Lunging, the much stronger marine tore out of the small nurse's grasp, inadvertently casting her hard to the ground as she did so. Wyatt stumbled back a pace, legs tangling together even as a fist looped into his jaw.

"_Fucker…goddamn fucking….needles_!" Shepard snarled in slurring rage. Wyatt hit the ground with a hard oof. Anderson grabbed Shepard's arm as she started to advance on the man and her momentum changed, turning in toward him.

Anderson felt bruising pain spread over his forearm as he whipped his hand up, blocking her punch. A huge hand grabbed the front of her shirt as the lieutenant intervened. Shepard's feet skipped into the air as he lifted and shoved, slamming her to the floor on her back hard enough for her air to escape in a single, loud, pain-filled bark.

Dazed, struggling for breath, Del weakly rolled onto her side, only to be thrust onto her belly, arms yanked behind her. The cold snap of cuffs was unmistakable.

"Be careful, young man!" Nancy snapped, cradling her arm against her side as she crouched at the faintly coughing Del's side, touching her shoulder gingerly.

"Be _careful_?" the lieutenant blinked. "She's lucky I didn't put a bullet in her!"

"Vega, that's enough," Anderson snapped, helping the dazed Wyatt to his feet. "Get her back to the detention cell and restrained."

"I need to sedate her," Wyatt protested, still looking dazed. "She got out of her cuffs once and if it happens again-"

"No sedation," Nancy protested. Anderson shook his head.

"Sorry Nan, but this time I have to agree with Dr. Wyatt. Until we figure out what's going on Shepard is a danger to herself and everyone around her."

Wyatt moved forward, kneeling down and drawing the syringe from his pocket again. Lifting Shepard's sleeve, he carefully injected her in the bicep. "All right, that won't last too long so best to get her moved while we can."

"I'm going with her," Nancy said as she got to her feet.

"How's that arm?" Anderson asked, eyeing her with stern knowing. With the woman said nothing, he nodded. "Medical first. Get that arm treated, and then we'll talk."

"_David-"_

"Nancy, I _mean_ it. Dr. Wyatt, I want you in Medical as well, and then we're going to figure out what the hell happened and where we go from here."

* * *

"Look, I know that you know her better than almost anyone," Perri said, watching the older Admiral pace around his office, "But you cannot let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. You saw it with your own eyes. Her own psych reports going back to boot have noted time and again she has unresolved issues and is likely a self-controlling psychotic. You have to accept _facts_ here, David. The woman finally suffered a psychotic break-"

"I'm not ready to just accept that conclusion," Anderson dismissed. "Shepard has been through fire that would have destroyed any other person-"

"_Exactly_," Perri pressed. "The things she's been through, endured…and now this mess with the batarians? Three hundred thousand people…that's going to tear apart _anyone_, David, unless they are completely without a soul. I'm not unsympathetic to her -"

_{Sir?}_ The voice of Perri's yeoman interrupted, coming over the comm. Clearing his throat he touched the response.

"What is it?"

_{Salgado is waiting here, sir. She is insisting upon talking to you and Anderson.}_

Glancing up at his superior, he nodded when he saw no protest waiting there. "Send her in."

The door slid open a moment later, Nan entering.

At first impression, Nancy seemed harmless. She was fairly short, barely cresting 5'2". She had a round, plump, grandmotherly appearance complete with laugh-lines indelibly etched at the corners of her mouth and eyes. Her recent ordeal had served to lessen some of the plump…though not by much.

Despite appearances, she had spent more than thirty years of her life dealing with the most violent, unbalanced, troubled young men and women that the slums of New York could spit out. She had wrestled knives off of boys a foot taller and a hundred pounds of muscle heavier than she was. She was overflowing with compassion but at the same time, she brooked no nonsense and could be as immovable as the Rock of Gibraltar when she wanted to be.

"Nan, did the doctor's clear you?" Anderson asked without preamble.

"My arm is fine, it's a minor fracture, they took care of it," she dismissed instantly. "David, something is extremely wrong here."

"I know," he said wearily. "We were just discussing it. This is bad, Nan, I won't lie. I refuse to believe that she just snapped with no provocation."

"Good, continue to refuse to believe it, because she didn't," Nancy said sternly.

"Mrs. Salgado," Perri said tiredly, but Nan was having none of it. She fixed him with a look.

"Admiral Perri, I have studied human behavior for the better part of three decades. I know violent individuals of all kinds, am familiar with nearly every mental illness on and off the books, and more importantly, _I know that girl_. What you saw is _not_ what you _think_ you saw."

"Tell us," Anderson urged.

"Del's actions were born out of defense and fear, not aggression," Nancy told him. "She built a wall of that desk to _protect_ herself. She _hid_, Admiral, which is what her instincts demand of her whenever she is afraid and helpless. Now, you know as well as I that while she may very often be afraid, Del is very rarely _helpless_. She learned to overcome these instincts when she was still in the institution, choosing instead to confront her fears rather than retreat 'into the vents' as it were. What she did just now was retreating back into the vents."

"What could have frightened her so much?" Perri asked with a baffled blink. "The woman's faced down thresher maws, batarian slavers, combat scenarios that make the most seasoned infantryman cringe inside…Dr. Wyatt simply asked if she was still smoking-"

"So he _claims,_" Nancy scowled. "Everything that happened prior to us arriving we have only _his_ word for. I _do_ know one thing for a fact, David…Delilah was drugged."

"Drugged?" he blinked, stiffening.

"I have seen that look in ten thousand eyes before," she said. "Kids coming in off the street high on sand, or Vitamin C. Kids so violent they have to be sedated, restrained. That foggy glass, that distant stare…there is a particular look that comes along with intoxication of any kind that no mental health professional with any kind of experience is going to miss. Not to mention her slurred speech, and when she lashed out at Wyatt she was cursing about needles. I have no doubt whatsoever, David. My baby was _drugged_, and that so-called psychiatrist of yours is a snake. I can feel it in my bones."

* * *

A swimming fog danced and tugged and swirled at vision, sensation, emotion. Unconsciously, her hands tugged weakly at the padded restraints holding her arms to the bed. Eyes rolled under heavy lids, languid and dreamlike as two drops of saline edged from below dark lashes, tumbling down temples, damping dark hair.

_Dr. Wyatt looked up as the escort entered, Shepard between them. Rising, he strode over and accepted the data pad from one, signing it before passing it back. "Thank you, gentlemen. I can take it from here."_

_As the two guards departed, he lightly touched Del's arm, directing her to sit at a nearby desk. The chair was bolted to the floor, and he attached a fasten from the chair to the bind-cuffs she still wore. "I am sorry about the restraints. After the results of my evaluation there should be no more need of them…you will simply be required to have an armed escort around the secure areas of the facility."_

"_Better safe than sorry I guess, right Doc?"_

"_As you say," he replied affably._

_Making sure she was secure, he straightened. "You have been through many of these evaluations before, I see," he told her, gesturing to the records lying on his desk. "You have some borderline concerns but nothing that would keep you out of service. It is my understanding however that your PTSD has displayed new symptoms and you are now on…to use the vernacular…little greens?"_

"_That is correct," Shepard told him. His pale blue eyes smiled as he sat on the edge of his desk, regarding her. _

"_Nothing to be concerned about. Every other soldier out there is on little greens, Perri included. You are a smart, capable woman, Commander. You understand the need for these evaluations…for the steps the Alliance is taking regarding you and what happened in batarian space?"_

"_I am aware."_

_His smile reached his lips and he nodded. "Good. I do have to say, I have been following your career quite closely the last few years. You are…well. You are an amazing example, not only of an Alliance soldier but also of a human being. To endure such traumas in both your past and in service and yet maintain your sanity…not an easy feat."_

_Her dark eyes watched him warily, but she said nothing in response. Almost eagerly he clasped his hands. "Oh, did you hear the news? Councilor Anderson is resigning his post. I understand he is a good friend of yours."_

_This surprised her. She blinked. "Anderson is stepping down from the Council?"_

"_Yes. He and Fleet Master Barrett are taking the concerns of this Reaper fleet now in batarian space very seriously. He feels he can be more use helping to secure our defenses here. In fact, he should be on base sometime in the next day or two. Ambassador Udina will be stepping up to take his place on the Council."_

"_Of course he will be," she grumped, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice._

"_You…dislike Ambassador Udina?"_

"_We don't always see eye-to-eye."_

"_Ah, I understand." He rose, walking around his desk. "Donnell Udina and I have worked together before. He can be a bit…hard to take sometimes, hmm?"_

_He sat behind the desk, clasping his hands in front of her, his expression warm and happy. "Now then…shall we get started?"_

_Shepard watched as he selected a data pad from among the stack on his desk. Lifting his brows, he peered at it through his glasses before tapping a finger on the edge and returning his gaze to her._

"_So, are you still smoking?" At her scowl he chuckled. "Yes, I bet you hear that question every time you have a physical, but I am required to ask. Dr. Chakwas was kind enough to forward your medical records to both me and Dr. Cooper. Quite fascinating reading…astonishing technology. Nanites, bio-synthetic implants-…we were, of course, quite skeptical about your claim of having been 'rebuilt' by Cerberus but after seeing this…well, to say we're astounded and as eager as kids at Christmas would be an understatement."_

"_Dr. Chakwas was fascin….fascinated….f-fash…" Del's tongue seemed suddenly uncooperative, a warm feeling spreading over her body. The room seemed to tilt a little, swaying ever so gently. She blinked, shaking her head, then blinked again. Across the desk, Dr. Wyatt smiled, and looked at the pad again. _

"_Most interesting to me at this juncture was this little note here," he continued. "'Due to an increased metabolism from her genetic reconstruction, Commander Shepard shows a remarkable resilience to and recovery from all forms of sedation.'"_

_The heat flushed over her cheeks. The room was now moving more dramatically. Alarm was a thick, bitter sludge churning distantly in her stomach. Her hands lifted weakly, only to be stopped in less than an inch by the snap of the tether. _

"_What…d'you do to me…" she mumbled. _

"_It's a good thing I read that part before you came in," Wyatt grinned with cherubic grace. The world slid to the side, his voice becoming nothing but an echo. "Or I might have made a serious error…"_

_Full consciousness returned. She was still in a chair, though a differing one from before. She was still shackled, but her location had moved. She was now in the far corner of the office, among some banks of medical equipment. Wyatt was leaning over her, humming slightly as he did something just behind her head she could not see. Struggling away the dregs of sedation, Shepard tried to lift her feet, intending to plant them in his gut and shove him away…only to find they, too, were now restrained. Hearing the snap of metal from her motion, he leaned back on his heels._

_Fucker was still smiling._

"_Ah, that is so impressive," he cooed. "There was enough sedative on that dot to knock a grown man out for ten hours…it managed to put you down for less than one."_

_Reaching out he gripped her arm firmly, turning it over in the restraint. A small white dot, exactly like the medication patches she pasted to the nape of her neck every morning save in color, was on the underside of her wrist. _

"_Do forgive me," he said as he peeled it off. "I applied it when I fastened your cuffs to the chair. I was only going to use a tenth of that dosage but as I said…lucky I read your medical file first."_

"_What do you want?" she snarled. "The fuck are you doing?"_

"_What is necessary," he replied. "Killing two birds with one stone, in fact. You see, Commander…you may have deduced by my glasses and my rather…unfortunate…hair line that I'm a Liberationalist. That is, however, not __**all **__that I am. I am also a very stringent member of Terra Firma."_

"_You're a fucking __**bigot**__-"_

"_Now now, name-calling isn't necessary," he said, and the cherubic grin reappeared. "I mean, I hate you with a passion and yet, I am able to speak civilly to you."_

"_You're crazy!"_

"_Oh, no no no. You see, I'm afraid __**you**__ are the one that is crazy, Commander."_

_Leaning forward, he gripped her forearms tightly, his face inches from hers as his grin turned feral, eyes dancing. His fingers dug painfully into her skin. _

"_You were __**supposed **__to be the best humanity had to offer…a paragon, a beacon of our advancement, our achievement! The ideal human! Instead, what are you? A goddamn shill to those frog-eyes, squid-heads and chicken-feet. Letting aliens on your crew, saluting that dead asari slut…and __**speaking**__ of sluts…"_

_His eyes sparkled and Shepard glared, baring her teeth a little as she leaned in dangerously. "Don't you __**dare-"**_

"_Don't I dare what?" he asked, the grin dancing on his face, careful to keep out of head-slamming range. "Don't I dare call that disgusting perversion of a squid you're fucking a slut?"_

_Shepard's biceps bulged and the cuffs rattled dangerously as she surged forward with a curse. He remained out of range, the binds staying secure. He had clearly planned for her added strength, as well._

"_You have desecrated and insulted __**everything**__ it means to be human," he barked. "You, the first Spectre, mankind's most glorious hope and you're a worthless, squid-fucking pile of __**pig shit**__!"_

_Specks of saliva foamed from his lips, flicking onto her cheeks as he fumed. Then, almost as if a switch was thrown, he straightened, calm lighting over his face once again._

"_So, we have our motivation, don't we?" he beamed. "Now how about the method?"_

"_I swear to __**fuck**__ the moment I'm out of these restraints I'm going to goddamn __**skin you alive**__," she snarled._

"_Mmhmm," he smirked. "One thing that cannot be argued, Shepard, is that you are one of the most resilient human beings on God's green Earth…even if you __**are **__barely worthy of the title. I wondered, more than a few times, how much it would actually take before you well and truly lost your mind? So much more than most normal people, that is obvious…or you would already have lost it. I don't think that's fair, do you? I think you're overdue for your fair share of crazy."_

_He straightened, tossing a half-gesture off at the equipment behind her. "I've memorized your file. Every mission, every report, every teensy little quirk you have. I know about your phobias, your habits, your __**nightmares**__. This is the second bird my stone is going to kill. I've spent years developing a hypnotherapy process…quite in secret, actually. Don't want anyone stealing my ideas before they come to fruition, after all. It works on subharmonic frequencies that can be programmed to excite certain regions of the brain. In conjunction with a lovely little cocktail of my own mix, I can use the subharmonic frequencies to bring to mind every single teensy tiny little horrific memory lurking about in that ugly head of yours. You will relieve every one of them in exquisite, glorious detail. It'll be just like you were there…__**all over again**__."_

"_I will kill you," Del threatened raggedly. "I swear to God I will kill you…"_

_He huffed. "What is going to happen, Commander, is you are going to suffer the worst, most vivid nightmare you have ever before experienced. You are going to suffer it until your feeble little brain comes apart. Then, you are going to be thrown into a bitsy little cell and left to drool on yourself for the rest of your life. Everyone will __**see**__ how lunatic you are. You'll be hidden away, covered up, buried in some dingy corner where no one will ever find you again, lost in the hell you deserve for your disgusting perversions!"_

_Drawing a syringe from his pocket he tugged off the cap in his teeth, slamming his hand down over her forearm again. She strained furiously, muscles knotting like steel…which did nothing but sharpen the pain of the needle he forcefully rammed into her flesh. _

_Whatever it was he'd injected her with, it was fast. It seemed she'd hardly felt the stab of the injection when the world once more seemed to heat up in a flush of fire. Reality skipped and danced away, a thousand bees filling her skull as she felt something pressed into her ears._

_Scream for me!_

_The cut of a knife across her collar, the heated slap of ammonia. _

_The gnawing ache of starvation, her mother's indolent, swollen corpse._

_Meat…food._

_They hit him so hard, Del._

_Shepard turned away from the Room and dug her fingers into the sides of the vent, frightened, desperate. Two of her nails tore, leaving streaks of blood as the men laughed, ripping her backward by her ankles._

_Needles, so many needles._

_Weight crushing her, clothing ripped, sour breath filling her mouth. Tearing, ripping, pushing…hurts. Hurts!_

_Meat-hooks digging into her wrists. Skin flaying from bone. Blood spilling over her hands. _

_Kaidan! Kaidan, answer me!_

_Onward. More. Horrible. Horrible._

_Liara! Liara's been shot! Hands slick with sapphire blood, fading sky blue eyes. "Stay with me, Tianlán! Stay with me!"_

"_She's gone, Commander…" Helen's voice, like mist._

"_No…no, this isn't how it happened! She didn't die!"_

_She's gone._

_Nan's face melting, falling from bone. _

_She's gone!_

Shepard jolted awake with a choked cough that may have been the beginning of a scream. Eyes wide, panting frantically, her eyes darted around the room.

The room. Her detention room.

Her breath came in quick, sharp heaves. Was this real? Was it gone? Was it done?

Her shaking tugs revealed that she was strapped down. Her brain felt as if it had been scooped from her skull, dried with a woolen towel, and then shoved back in. She struggled to focus, to remember. Nan…Nan had been there, hadn't she? She remembered Nan, remembered Anderson.

Slowly it grew a bit clearer. She'd broken free of the chair, somehow…or…no, he'd _set_ her free. He'd let her go. Trapped half in reality, half in the haze of her own tormented past, Shepard was lost in her simple instincts…instincts learned by a helpless little girl desperate to survive. She remembered destroying the equipment, tearing the desk off its legs, cramming herself into the smallest, darkest hole she could find.

Then Nan had been there. Nan…God, _Nan was alive_!

Part of her was certain now she had indeed gone mad, like Wyatt had wanted. She couldn't cling to the false hope that Nan was still alive. How could it be possible? The Illusive Man would not have let her go, she had probably already been dead before they'd even left the Collector station.

The rest of her desperately gripped onto hope like a beacon. She _had_ been there, alive and safe…somehow. She'd been there, like she had been there a thousand times before…holding Del after her nightmare, somehow making the world solid and safe again.

Then _he_ had been there as well, _Wyatt._ A dream of a memory of Nan telling him 'no sedative', yet as he'd grabbed her arm there was the thin prick of a needle anyway, a cold slip into the flesh of her underarm and calm…calm, warm water, and then-

Del closed her eyes, weary, sick. She'd pushed Nan. She'd hurt Nan, trying to get to Wyatt. The needle-prick had brought calm with it but only for a moment…and after that there was just rage, familiar and biting rage that sought for his blood, and in the quest of it, she'd hurt Nan.

Her dark eyes sank shut again.

She'd hurt Nan. She really _was_ nothing but a monster.


	2. Chapter 2

Fingers as thin as the bones of a bird pressed lightly to a wrist, only to draw back slightly at the sudden jolt. Hands snapped upward, halted in only inches by the restraints. Dark irises sunk in tiny pools of crimson fixed to his face, razors dulled slightly by mist. He looked back at her calmly, a soft smile on his face.

"Delilah, it's all right-"

"_Don't call me that_!" she hissed. Another form hurried up, a cool hand slipping onto her shoulder.

"Del, it's ok. You're safe…"

"Nan," she rasped, her eyes fixing on that familiar, care-worn face.

"I'm here, baby," Nan reassured, cupping her face. "You're all right. This is Dr. Cooper. He needs to run some tests."

"You're alive…you're really alive?" Del asked, still unsure if she could trust what her eyes were telling her. She completely ignored Cooper as he took a blood-sample from her arm, plugging it into a pocket scanner and letting it run before activating his omni-tool and passing it slowly over her.

"So are you," Nan smiled, tears standing in her eyes, one hand gripping Del's as the other lightly stroked her hair. Shepard had forgotten that the last Nan had known before she'd left Freedom's Progress…Del had been dead.

She was unaware of course, that Liara had told Nan about Lazarus and her hopes they'd be able to restore the commander…she never _had_ finished watching that damn phone call.

"Nan…I'm so sorry," Del murmured miserably. "I'm so sorry for everything-"

"Hush now, none of it was your fault. I'll hear no apology," Nancy affirmed. Del's eyes still looked half-focused, immensely exhausted. Her brows knit as she shook her head faintly.

"But…how…how did you get here?" Del asked. "I thought…Cerberus…"

"Shh, long story, and there'll be plenty of time to tell it. Right now I don't want you to worry about that. I want you to just rest."

"I'm not crazy," Del insisted, shaking her head again. "That…that doctor-"

"Dr. Wyatt?"

"Fucker drugged me, he _did_…some kind of…of dot-"

"I know, darling, I know. Anderson and Perri are pulling the secondary records from the office now. He was smart, managed to corrupt the active recordings but he's a psychiatrist, not an engineer. If anything of them remains they'll find them. There's too much to talk about just now."

"We're going to have to get her down to Medical," Cooper told Nancy as he finished his initial scan. "Her blood sample is showing latent traces of two different sedatives and a significant level of complex tryptamine."

"Ibogaine?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Looks like. Her body is metabolizing it at an advanced rate but her tissues are immensely saturated. He must have dosed her with enough to make an elephant see pink people. I'm surprised she's as lucid as she is now."

"Del, we're going to move you," Nancy told her as Cooper strode over to speak to their armed escort. "I'm going to be with you the whole time, I promise."

"I'm not crazy," Shepard told her, seeming to cling to this one small fact in desperation. "He wanted me to be, but I'm _not_."

"Is that what he told you?" Nancy asked. "That he _wanted_ you to be crazy?"

When Shepard's eyes only fluttered shut, she shook her head, stroking her hair again. "Don't you worry about that right now. There'll be plenty of time for it later, darling."

* * *

Shepard was vaguely aware of being moved, before sleep fell again…a thick, dark sleep torn randomly with half-seen images, memories, and thoughts. They tumbled in a riot of voices and unseen color before finally fading away. When she opened her eyes again, she could tell quite some time had passed.

Everything, all of it, felt like just tattered portions of those dreams…fading and breaking in the wake of consciousness. She was laying on a bio-bed, restrained only by a single cuff on her left wrist that fastened to a rail. Her head felt as if someone had tried pumping it full of helium but she was otherwise clear-minded. Blinking a moment, she turned her head and looked around.

An armed guard stood nearby at parade rest, one hand on the butt of his pistol. A few feet away from him two figures were speaking. One was Nan. The other, a tall, skinny man that she only vaguely recalled.

Shifting a little, she managed to sit up a bit, licking her lips. "Nan?"

"Sweetie?" the older woman moved instantly over to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed and touching her face. "Well, you look worlds better. How are you feeling?"

Shepard couldn't help it. Instantly her free arm was around the older woman, hugging her tightly, her eyes almost heating. Nancy hugged her back, kissing her cheek and letting the younger woman cling a moment before Del almost sheepishly released her. Gently, she repeated her question.

"How are you feeling?"

"All right. Bit light-headed," Del responded.

"That'll pass," the skinny fellow said as he drew near the bed-side. It took her a moment to recognize the doctor who had startled her…Cooper. "All traces of the drugs are now out of your system, and there shouldn't be any lingering effects."

"That fucker Wyatt-"

"He's been arrested, he's being questioned right now," Nancy said, her lips thin and set.

"He tried to leave the complex after being treated," Cooper informed her. "Fortunately, Mrs. Salgado-"

"Nancy," the older woman corrected firmly.

"_Nancy_," he conceded with a nod, "recognized almost immediately that you had been drugged and placed suspicion on his doorstep. Otherwise he would have walked right off base and chances are, by the time anyone realized that they should be looking for him, he could have been in the Terminus."

"I…it's _hazy_ now, kind of…broken up," Shepard murmured, "He…he was Terra Firma, he said. Fucker was a loon, I remember _that _much. Blamed me for not being the perfect image of humanity, said he was going to show everyone just how crazy I was. The drugs and…he had some kind of machine...? Sound…he said something about _sound _making me remember-"

"There are engineers going over every piece of equipment in his office," Nancy told her. "Anderson and Perri both have a full team investigating that man down to the color of underwear he prefers. Don't you worry. He's _not _getting away with this, Del."

"I'm going to inform the Admirals that she's awake," Cooper said. "No doubt they'll want to fully debrief her. Ferrel will want to be down here as well."

The doctor headed away, and Shepard lowered her head. That soft, familiar scent of jasmine accompanied Nan's gentle hand as it touched her cheek. "Oh, I can't tell you how _much_ I missed you…"

Del's gaze was tentative, shameful, and immediately reminded the former nurse of the twelve year old little girl who had come into the Institute, dragged by a pair of cops three times her size. Instantly Nan's other hand joined the first as she firmly cupped her face.

"Now you _stop that_," she said quietly, but firmly. "No apologies. This was _not_ your fault."

"Maybe," Del murmured, then shook her head. Her jaw tensed as she looked to the side. Maybe Wyatt and the drugs weren't her fault, but it only drove home what everyone believed about her; that she was a time-bomb waiting to go off, that there was something fundamentally broken inside of her, a shattered pocket of trauma and pain and hate that was never going to go away, no matter how hard she tried.

What _was_ her fault, however, was the decision she had made. Nan had been taken because of her. The Illusive Man had placed a choice in her hands, and she had chosen to destroy that station rather than save the life of the only mother she'd ever really known. How could she look at the woman and admit to what she'd done? That she'd knowingly chosen to sacrifice Nan's life over _technology?_

"Baby-"

"Nan, what happened with Cerberus?" she asked softly, reluctantly returning her gaze to her companion.

Nancy sat back a little, resting her hands over Del's. "Well," she said slowly. "I was on a shuttle. Freedom's Progress had negotiated with another colony, Pioneer, for a supply trade…we had too many solar converters and they had too many hydroponic mister tanks. Well, since I knew more about hydroponics than anyone else on the colony, naturally they elected me to go so that I could verify they were in good condition. Halfway to Pioneer the shuttle was intercepted and taken by a large cruiser."

"Cerberus," Shepard murmured, and Nancy nodded.

"I was treated very well," she reassured. "They would tell me nothing, of course, but I was given a fairly comfortable room, good food. I was taken to a facility on a small planetoid called…oh, Kirkel or Kirkwell, or something to that effect. Anyway, there I stayed. Was told little to nothing, but as I said, treated decently enough. They gave me things to read, even limited and monitored extranet access."

"How did you get out of there?" Shepard asked. "How did you get back here?"

"The Alliance raided the facility. I didn't know it was them until later…there was just a lot of shouting and shooting and the next thing I know, armed men filling my door. I was taken to the Luna outpost and David came to meet me there on his way back to Earth from the Citadel. He filled me in on everything else. Verified that you were alive, that you had been working against the Collectors to stop the colony abductions. I didn't…I didn't even hear about Freedom's Progress until he told me-"

She broke off, sadness coming into her eyes. Shepard gripped her hands and Nan shook her head, managing a smile. "He told me that the Alliance had been conducting their own investigations into the abductions and suspected that Cerberus was behind them. They later learned it was the Collectors but Cerberus was still thought to be possibly feeding them information. They raided several small Cerberus facilities that they located and…well, Kirkel-whatever happened to be one of them. Just coincidence I was there."

Del's brows knit as she processed this. The raid must have happened just before or immediately after the Illusive Man had given her the ultimatum. It was possible he had threatened to kill Nancy while knowing perfectly well that she was no longer in his possession.

"They took you because of me," she admitted. Nancy looked at her patiently, and Del shook her head. "They made me think that you'd been taken in the raid at Freedom's Progress, so I'd stick with _them_ instead of returning to the Alliance. They knew I wouldn't risk the time it would take to cut through red tape when I could go after you immediately with _their_ resources. They let me think you were being tortured, that…that the Collectors had-"

She choked off angrily, and Nancy gripped her hands. "They lied to you, Del. That is on _them_."

"You don't understand," Shepard whispered. "At the end, I was in the Collector base. The Illusive Man didn't want me to destroy it, he wanted to salvage the technology. They…they killed so many people there. Such horrific…and I thought they had killed _you_ there. Then he told me that you were alive, that he had you prisoner and that if I destroyed the base he would-…"

"He would kill me?" Nancy surmised.

"Yeah…"

"And you chose to destroy the base anyway," Nancy noted with a nod. "You made the right decision."

Del's lip trembled and she bit it angrily to force it to stop. "How can you say that? If the Alliance hadn't happened to raid that facility and get you out he _would_ have killed you, Nan…and probably not gently. He would have killed you because of _my_ decision, and I made it _knowing_ that."

"_He _would have killed me because of _his_ decision," Nancy corrected sternly. "My blood would have been on _his_ hands, Del, _not_ yours. You and I both know that there is a greater good that needs to be fought for. I would rather have died proud that you chose that over me, than be alive knowing such a horrible man had his hands on dangerous technology that would probably have ended up injuring thousands, if not millions."

Seeing the look that passed over Del's face, Nancy embraced her, hugging her tightly. "I am so proud of you, Delilah. You are _alive_, and I cannot be sorry or upset about anything while I have that."

Shepard struggled back the tears, clenching her eyes shut as she hugged the woman in return, before reluctantly drawing back. "I…I had your gold cross," she admitted. "They confiscated it when I was arrested. Anderson can probably get it back to you."

Nancy smiled faintly. "I'll talk to him about it."

"It's…a little beat up," Del warned.

"Oh?"

"It…_kind _of went through a batarian's skull…" she said sheepishly. Nan blinked at her, then burst into laughter.

"Oh, _darling_…_**this**_ one I have to hear!"

* * *

_Two weeks later_

"Stop fiddling, it's fine," Nancy admonished gently, reaching up and drawing Shepard's hands away from the collar of her dress blues. She smoothed her palms over the shoulders, giving the epaulets a slight tug before smiling. "There. You look perfect."

Though she had to admit she was slightly biased, she also knew there were few who would disagree with her. Del had always looked sharp in uniform. With the new streak of silver over one temple she was even more distinguished.

Of course, Nancy recognized the set of her jaw, the tension around the edges of her eyes. When her hands almost immediately went back up toward her collar the older woman firmly caught them and drew them down again.

"You look _fine_," she insisted. "Del, look at me. Things are going to be fine."

"They're going to determine if I'm a war criminal, Nan," Shepard replied with a scowl. "Fine doesn't even _begin_ to factor into this. If the batarians push hard enough-"

"_Nothing_ is going to happen," Nan insisted. "David, Steven and Jack are not going to let anything happen to you."

"It may be out of their hands!"

"And if it is? You're still a Council Spectre-"

"I'm not going to use that to duck away from my responsibilities," Shepard told her. "I don't get a free ticket just because I'm a Spectre. I could have used that to avoid arrest to begin with. It would have been cowardly. I'm an Alliance soldier _first_."

"Del," Nan murmured. "Let's just take this one step at a time, all right?"

Shepard took a deep breath, then let it out again.

Two weeks. Two weeks since that wacko Wyatt had drugged her in a desperate attempt to prove her insane. Anderson had thrown everything he'd had into that investigation, and it had dragged up some pretty nasty business. They'd salvaged enough of the altered and damaged recordings to completely verify Shepard's story that the man had drugged her…though Cooper's findings from her blood-tests would have more than borne that out. Firm questioning – questioning in which he was oddly compliant- proved he was not only a hard-core fundamental Terra Firma advocate and Liberationalist, but that he may have been a member of God's Planet, the very same terrorist group that had been responsible for Sydney and Shepard nearly drowning all those years ago.

Anderson had a few choice words to say about proper background checks and vetting procedures. Perri insisted that Wyatt had been stringently researched before being hired on and Anderson had pointed out how that clearly wasn't possible. It was still an ongoing point of furious contention between the two men and a deeper investigation had been launched to find out how such an obvious nut-job had slipped through the cracks.

For her part, after Del had recovered from the drugs, she had been re-evaluated by a different psychologist…this time, with four armed guards and Nancy in the room with her. Nan, retained by the Admirals as a 'civilian advisor', had also counseled Del at length regarding the memories the drugs and strange 'subharmonic' hypnotherapy had dredged up and made her relive. She reminded Del that these were things she had already survived and dealt with. Even so, Shepard was suffering from nightmares, dreams that would startle her awake but leave no lingering memory. She had told Nancy about them from the beginning but as the days went on she gave the impression they were improving. They were _not_, but as they also weren't getting any worse, she felt no need to alarm or concern her surrogate mother any more than she already was.

Between Nan's efforts and the new psychologist's examinations, it was determined that Shepard was of sound mind and hale enough to testify at her hearing regarding her actions in the Bahak system. What had happened to Wyatt, Shepard hadn't heard. If she never heard the man's name again, it would be too soon.

"Whatever happens…" Nan murmured, holding her white-gloved hands and meeting her eyes. Shepard managed a faint smile.

"I know. You're proud of me."

"I was going to say, 'watch your language,'" Nan teased. "But that works too."

Shepard gave her a dry look, then stiffened as the door nearby opened."Commander, they're ready for you."

Shepard nodded and cleared her throat, smoothing one hand down the front of her coat as she turned and strode toward the door, her escort following. Nan watched her go, fingers dropping to the battered cross that Anderson had returned, and closed her eyes.

"Please…" she whispered. "Let this be all right…"

* * *

"This human is responsible for the deaths of more than _three hundred thousand_ of our people! She destroyed a mass relay, an entire _system_! We will _not_ stand by while _your_ kind sweeps it under the rug, and lauds her actions!"

The batarian was present in the form of a looming, crimson holograph dominating the hearing room. Shepard felt the cold fingers of déjà vu as she regarded it. She had stood before the Council on the Citadel on another day, years ago now, while Saren Arterius loomed over just like that.

"Minister, humanity does not want a war any more than you do," Admiral Dasan, the presiding authority, replied. "Shepard has endured more than one debrief on her actions in Bahak, and her story has remained unwavering."

"Yes, and she _admits_ to destroying the relay!" he shot back hotly.

"Shepard's confession has been taken into account," Dasan replied. "As has the testimony of one of your own people."

Shepard resisted the urge to look around to where Kelcik was sitting. Though she knew they had questioned him, the boy being present at the hearing had surprised her. He had given a remarkably candid account of what had happened on that asteroid, and while he had not gone out of his way to paint Del in any kind of positive light…neither had he lied. He admitted that she had tried numerous times to warn the colony, told the board that her urgency and desperation to that end had seemed more than genuine. Best of all, he told them about the conversation with Harbinger, which had brought him around to thinking that the Reapers and the threat they posed was, in fact, real.

The batarian Minister, of course, had accused them of brainwashing the kid…an accusation Dasan and the board had not taken kindly.

"Then justice must be _served_," he raged now. "What assurance have we that her actions were not endorsed by your government? That this batarian boy is not _lying_ in his testimony? Three more of our smaller outposts have gone silent…what assurances do we have that _they_ are not part of an ongoing Alliance threat to our space?"

"Minister, that is quite enough," Dasan ordered. "Fleet Master Barrett and President Falkwell have been in contact with the Hegemony and have cleared any involvement by the Alliance in your missing outposts, as well as in the events of Bahak. Commander Shepard was _not _there under Alliance order nor as part of any official operation…she was there of her own volition to rescue a friend. It was neither sanctioned nor endorsed by this government."

The batarian puffed up a bit, but held his tongue. He knew that he was there only as a representative and that attempting to drag higher politics into this, politics the Hegemony was already addressing, would only put them in their bad graces.

When he remained silent, Dasan nodded and gestured. "Commander Shepard, this board has gone over all testimony and evidence, presented both by the batarians and by your JAG. Also taken into account are your past services to this Fleet and your numerous commendations, as well as references from Admiral Steven Hackett, Former Councilor Admiral David Anderson, and Fleet Master Jack Barrett. Do you have anything final to say before we render discipline?"

"No sir," she replied evenly.

"Very well. Commander Delilah Spruce Shepard, it is the decision of this board based on the evidence at hand, that you be suspended from rank and duty, and held in house detention for a period no shorter than twelve months, and no longer than twenty-four months. At the end of twelve months, provided good conduct, your advocate may initiate proceedings to reinstate your rank and full duties. During your suspension you may be given limited advisory duties geared toward Admiral Anderson's defense projects. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir," she murmured.

A year at least of in-house detention. Still, it wasn't prison, and it certainly wasn't execution…and so far better than she had expected. Of course, she wouldn't be able to take a piss without being monitored or having an armed escort, but that was a small price to pay, all things considering.

Far _too_ _small_ a price, she thought, for the lives she'd been unable to save.

"Good. This hearing is concluded. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your time. Good evening, Minister Sekk."

The batarian curtly inclined his head, and then vanished as he cut the recording. The Hegemony would not be overjoyed, but it was something, at least.

"Better than being named a war criminal, hmm?" Officer Ferrel said as she shook Del's hand. "It's been an honor, Command…uh…_Ms._ Shepard. I have no doubt I'll be filing that appeal in twelve months, and we'll get you back in the black."

Anderson rose from his place, moving over to Shepard. She straightened with a nod, then lifted her hands as he held his palm out. With careful motions, she withdrew her dog-tags from around her neck, folded the chain neatly, and set them in his palm. Then she removed her rank insignia from the shoulders and collar of her uniform, setting those in his hand as well.

"I'll be getting these back to you soon," he promised. "Barrett is putting together a defense committee to specifically address the Reaper threat, and I'll be working with Hackett and the other fleet Admirals directly to strengthen our stance. Unfortunately that means I will be away from Earth for quite some time…but I will keep in contact, and I'll see to it the committee makes full use of you and your expertise on the Reapers."

"What about Kelcik?" Shepard asked, looking around at the boy as he was being escorted out.

"He's requested to be delivered to the Citadel," Anderson told her. "I think it's the least we could do in light of his honesty. It took guts for him to tell that Minister the truth, even if it was clear he didn't like saying it much."

"He's a brave kid," Del agreed. "Thank you, Anderson. I mean it…for everything."

"After all you've done for us, I think it's the least anyone can do for you," he replied, clapping her affectionately on the shoulder. "Now go on. You've got an armed escort waiting…and probably a very worried Nan pacing the anteroom. Let's not keep her waiting."

* * *

The gray dust hissed and whipped in miniature whirlwinds as the shuttle lowered from the black, settling almost tentatively to the weathered rock. The distant, small sun gleamed over the black, yellow, and white insignia on its side, casting it into sharp relief before the doors swung open.

A dozen men in hard-suits, assault rifles in hand, surged out, quickly securing the landing zone. Seeing nothing immediately amiss, the captain straightened a little, narrowing his eyes through his face-plate as he looked toward the facility only a few hundred yards away.

"All right, Ren Station went dark only an hour ago," he said. "Pings show no Alliance vessels in twenty light-years but it could still be a black-op team. The research data at this facility is _priority_, crew and scientists are a secondary concern. Be ready for anything."

There was a chorus of 'aye sirs' and the group spread out, advancing on the quiet facility with every bit of discipline any military group would have displayed.

Ren Station was half sunk beneath the moon's crust, set into the side of a rough little cliff. There was no sign of a firefight outside, no marks of hacking on the air-lock doors and they hadn't been explosively compromised. The captain waited until the outside area had been verified clear of any personnel, foreign surveillance, or traps, then ordered the lock opened.

Once inside, the Cerberus team advanced…hall by hall, door by door, they slowly cleared the facility. Again, no marks of battle, no sign of forced entry or damage…and no sign of the Project crew stationed here. Everything was neat and tidy, not a data pad or a rolling chair even slightly out of place.

Working their way deeper, the team closing the perimeter in tighter and tighter, they finally surrounded the final area…the cafeteria. There were two direct entrances, almost exactly opposite one another. The captain put his second on the far door and himself on the near. The grip on his weapon tensed and shifted as the door was hacked, and finally slipped open.

He strode in, his two flanking men turning automatically to clear corners. Slowly the captain drew to a halt, staring.

The room seemed to be empty of anything living, save themselves. The dead, however, it had plenty of. Every warm body that had called this facility home was laying on the floor…rank after rank of neatly arranged corpses. Hands were laying serenely over stomachs, shoulders touching shoulders. All had clearly been shot, each with a neat wound in his or her head. The walls bore splash marks that told they had probably been lined up and executed one at a time, before being arranged.

Who had _done_ the executing, though, was not immediately in evidence. The Cerberus strike team, forming a rough circle around the edges of the macabre sight, could only stare. The captain touched his radio, his voice thick.

"Henderson, this is Grant. Do we have the data?"

_{Yes, the computers were untouched. Data is being uploaded now. We're golden.}_

"Good. We found our people. They're…all dead. No sign yet of host-"

A form dropped from the ceiling, a big form that slammed down to one of the metal tables. Reflexively a dozen weapons lifted and aimed at the krogan who straightened to his feet. Gunfire thundered through the room, but in a breath a huge bubble of biotic energy had surrounded the krogan as he lifted a hand, absorbing each shot without seeming effort.

A smirk appeared on his face as a second figure dropped from the ceiling. Alight with blue fire, this figure was smaller and slimmer than the krogan, and seemed almost to float downward like an angel bringing damning judgment.

"Cease fire!" Grant barked, knowing his men were more likely to shoot each other at this juncture than break through that biotic field. "Hold fire!"

The smaller figure, an asari, touched down just in front of the table her companion dominated. Her hands lifted, and damned if every single armed man in the room didn't suddenly heft into the air, suspended with dark energy and helpless.

Grant grunted as his own feet departed the ground, the churning feeling of weightlessness filling his gut even as the static of biotics lifted each hair along his body. His jaw dropped, and he could do nothing but stare. Even the most powerful biotic he had ever heard of was incapable of such a display. On average one could lift two or three…a very strong one perhaps five…but this asari was holding a dozen fully armed and armored men effortlessly off the ground.

The krogan let his protective bubble fade, and jumped off the table, his green eyes reflecting in the almost tidal blue.

"Which of you is in command?" the asari demanded. Grant lifted his chin, steeling himself.

"I am," he declared. Her eyes fixed to him, and she stepped forward a pace.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Grant Brewer," he replied.

"You are very brave, Grant Brewer," she noted, lifting a brow. Her eyes were like ice on fire.

"Who are you and what do you want here?" he demanded. "Why have you killed our people?"

She laughed. "Very _very_ brave! I can snap your spine in ten different ways without breaking a sweat, Mr. Brewer. Do you believe that?"

"Yes," he replied honestly. Any biotic powerful enough to do what she was doing right now, could easily fulfill such a promise.

"Hmm. Mr. Brewer, what I want is a very simple thing, one I am sure that you can accommodate. I would like an audience with your Illusive Man."

"That will be up to him," he responded.

"I understand, but I think what I've done here today will at least get his _attention_, don't you think? Perhaps pique his interest?"

"I think that's safe to say," he told her.

"Good, that was my intent," she told him. "You will contact him for me?"

"I will do anything you want, if you put my men down," he replied. She inclined her head a little, scrutinizing him, before lowering the group. Slowly the biotic fire died as ground came up beneath their feet again. Grant lifted his hand, signaling his men to stand down and not do anything stupid. He eyed the asari and her brutish but silent companion.

"I'll need a name to tell him," he said.

The asari's smile was as cold as her gaze. "You may call me Eír. Tell him that my brother Thug and I are most _anxious_ to make his acquaintance."


	3. Chapter 3

Perfect etchings of citrine light crawled up the asari's body, mapping her form and transforming it into a near perfect holographic rendering over a pad thousands of light-years away.

Drawing the cigarette away from his lips, Jack Harper narrowed his glimmering blue synthetic eyes as the image coalesced.

"You wanted my attention, and now you have it," he told the girl standing there. "I hope you have a good reason for killing my team at Ren Station."

"Would you have spoken to me otherwise?" she asked. "I am _asari_, after all."

"What you _are _is Gellian Osco's brain-child, half-sister to Liara T'Soni and the most powerful biotic extant. I think I would have managed to fit you into my schedule."

"Possibly. You also _possibly_ would have taken me less seriously," she replied. "I want you to understand just how _serious_ I am."

"I'm all ears, Eír T'S-"

"That is _not_ my name," she said heatedly.

"My apologies. Eír Osco, perhaps?"

"It is Eír _Seko_," she snarled.

"Yes, Aratoht," he said with what seemed genuine sympathy. "My condolences on the loss of your bondmate. May I assume that is _why_ you wanted this audience?"

"I propose an alliance…an _understanding_," Eír replied. "I want unlimited access to your information network and your personnel resources."

"That's a bit of a tall order, don't you think?" he asked, ashing his cigarette. "You must have something very valuable to exchange."

"I do. Your information network and personnel resources."

"You offer exactly what you are requesting…and things I _already_ possess."

"Not for long, if things go…_unfortunately_," she warned. "Ren Station was hardly a warm-up. You have twelve men still here, alive and healthy…for _now_. Do you know how little effort it would take me to kill every one of them? To track down Cerberus base after Cerberus base? You have no idea the level of dedication I am capable of. I will destroy you and your entire organization _brick by brick_. The bodies of your agents will pile high in every star system, the twisted husks of your ships will fall into every sun…and I _will_ find my way to your door."

His eyes were steady, unblinking under the weight of Eír's gaze. After a moment, she continued. "You have a choice," she said. "You may have me as an ally, or an _enemy_. As an ally I will be more or less free to use as you wish…a weapon you may point at any target you like, so long as I get what _I _am after. As an enemy…I will unleash a hell upon your head that you will not believe, and simply find _another _way to get what I am after. This brings difficulty and pain down upon both of us."

"If I agree to your conditions, what assurances do I have that you will not oppose us from within?"

"I don't care about _you_, or your _organization._ I don't care what you do or to whom. Take over the goddamn galaxy for all that it concerns me. I am talking to you for only _one_ reason: your information and research resources are second only to one…and the Shadow Broker is _not_ an option. I. Want. _Shepard_. I will ruin her, I will destroy her and those around her, and I will not _stop_ until I feel her heart _dying_ in my hand. _Nothing else_ matters."

"And if Liara were to get in the way?" he asked. "If you were forced to kill your own sister to reach your goals? You would do so?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

"Interesting."

"_You_ want Shepard out of your way,_ I_ want to kill Shepard. I am _going_ to kill Shepard. _You _decide if I'm going to do so at the head of a Cerberus army…or if I'm going to climb over its dead corpse on my way instead."

He searched her face, thoughtful a long moment, before he inclined his head. "Well, then…let's see what help we can be to each other, shall we?"

* * *

_Six months later_

The body slammed to the canvas, rubies of blood and diamonds of sweat seeming to hang perfect in the air a moment before they pattered down toward the field of white. The roar of voices dulled down into muffled thunder before clearing and sharpening again.

Blinking in a daze, the private shook his head, pushing himself back to his wobbling feet. Beyond the ropes, his friends were urging him to stay down. He ignored them, huffing faintly through a nose that was already turning to purple, dripping with blood.

Wet heat ran into his swollen eyes from a gash on his eyebrow, his head bobbing as he tried to orient. Spotting the human shaped smear that was his opponent, he tucked his gloves up against his face again.

The smear advanced, and he took a half-hearted swing that met only air. In nearly the same breath, a cannon-ball crashed into his gut, air vacating his lungs in a hefty bark that was only echoed by those at the sidelines.

Curled over his gut he was somehow still on his feet, the world swimming in and out as he tried to figure out where the oxygen had fled to. He felt a glove on his shoulder.

"Stay down," his opponent advised kindly, pushing him lightly as she stepped past toward her corner. The push was enough to topple him on his back, and there he remained, groaning in misery.

* * *

Shepard wiped the back of her glove over her forehead as she glanced back at the private. His mates were clambering over the ropes, getting hold of him and hauling him to his feet. He hung between them, barely clinging to consciousness, drool and blood seeping off his chin.

"D'd I win?" he slurred as they helped him through the ropes.

"Not exactly," his one friend chuckled. Shepard shook her head, drawing her gloves off and snatching hold of her water bottle, taking a draught before spilling some over the back of her neck. As her eyes lifted she caught sight of the armed escort near the wall, watching her. She gave him a nod.

It was a pain in the ass, going absolutely everywhere with a silent chaperone…but it wasn't their fault. They had their orders, like any other soldier. She'd gotten to know a few of the regular guys on her rotation. This one was Scarsdale. Big fucker, like Wilcher. He didn't smile very often, but she knew he had two small girls, and his face lit up whenever he talked about them.

"What's the matter, boys? None of you can take her down?"

The familiar voice cut through the room, and Del stiffened a little. Turning her head, she looked toward the figure striding in to the gym.

She hadn't seen Ash since she'd been delivered to Bonneville. Del's only reaction to seeing her now was to lift an eyebrow.

"You think _you_ can, Williams?" she asked.

A few of the gathered soldiers leapt on that, egging Ashley on. She inclined her head slightly, then took hold of her uniform tunic, hauling it off, much to the delight of those around her. In her black tank, she strode toward the ropes, tossing her tunic aside and accepting a pair of gloves.

Del retrieved her own, strapping them on as Ash climbed through the ropes.

There seemed no expression on either woman's face as they confronted one another. Del, her own black tank damp with sweat, stretched her shoulders a little, making the visible portions of her phoenix tattoo shift and ripple a bit.

She'd had six months of enforced idleness, broken only by the occasional counseling session or completely pointless advisory pow-wow when the muckity-mucks wanted her expertise (only to inevitably decide that her suggestions were not feasible in the available budget).

Shepard had never done well idle, and with few options left to her, her ample free time translated into many long hours in the gym. She hadn't been this cut since boot, if even then…and it was obvious.

Ashley jerked her chin slightly in the direction of her former commander's arms. "Been working out I see?" she noted.

"Ain't much else to do in stir," Del replied honestly.

"I'll bet."

"We gonna do this or are you gonna get the fuck out of my ring?" Shepard asked, holding her gloved fists out. Ashley lightly slapped them with her own.

"Oh, we're _gonna_ do this," she replied sternly.

A small crowd re-gathered around the outside of the ropes, and soon bets were being passed as the two women lit in to each other. There were no testing jabs, no cautious feels of the other's defenses. It was full-on from the first swing, and neither were holding anything back.

Shepard's right hook thundered into Ashley's jaw, making her stumble, her mouth flooding with the taste of copper. Even with ears ringing, she recovered quickly, and sent two swift jabs into her former commander's ribs.

Another blow to the point of her chin sent her crashing to her back. Using her momentum, she continued her roll backward, pushing off the canvas and back onto her feet in the same motion. Del barked a bitter laugh.

"You gonna _box_ or are you gonna play acrobat, _princess_?" she snarled.

Ash glared, lashing out twice. Her blows were blocked soundly by Shepard's gloves, before she got a lucky strike in, splitting Del's lip. Shepard followed up with a hard enough strike to Ash's face to send the woman stumbling back again.

Licking her lip and gathering the blood, Shepard spit onto the canvas. Ash shook her head, resuming her defensive stance, eyes narrowing above the mouse already starting to rise on her cheekbone.

Just as Del tensed for another punch, a voice rose above the cheers of the thin crowd, making her falter. Ashley, similarly startled, only managed to brush her glove over the side of Del's face as the two women stumbled to halt their motion.

"Are you ladies finished?"

"_Nan_?" Del blinked, staring as the older woman walked forward, turning her attention on the few soldiers gathered.

"I'm not an Alliance officer but I do believe gambling on base is against regs?" she told them. "I'll have to double check with Admiral Perri."

The room was suddenly emptier as everyone seemed to remember they had somewhere else to be. Smirking, Nan stopped at the edge of the canvas, looking up at the pair through the ropes.

"Sorry to halt your fun," she said, not sounding sorry in the least. "But after the fourth young man showed up in Medical I told Dr. Cooper I would come put a halt to the natural disaster that was putting them there. Hello, Ashley."

"Ma'am," Ash nodded, then, in the wake of Nancy's dry look, amended, "Nancy."

"You two know each other?" Del asked, testing her lip with the back of her glove.

"We've talked once or twice," Nan said cryptically. "Ash, it's good to see you again, but if you don't mind I'd like to speak to my 'natural disaster' alone for a moment?"

"Sure," she agreed, shedding her gloves and slipping out from the ring. As Ash gathered up her shirt and headed off, she looked back at Del. The message written in her eyes was plain to be seen.

_This isn't over, Skipper._

Unlacing her own gloves, Shepard climbed through the ropes and dropped to the ground. Nan, of course, gripped her chin and regarded her split lip critically.

"It's nothing, Nan," she reassured.

"Hmm. What you did to those boys wasn't 'nothing'," Nan responded.

"We were _sparring_, that happens. It's boxing, not a fucking _cake walk_," Del said angrily.

"Don't you curse at _me_, young lady," Nan ordered. Del sighed, tossing the gloves back onto the canvas with a grunt.

"Why did you really come here, Nan?"

"I want to know why you have been lying to me about your nightmares."

Shepard froze, gritting her teeth a little. "Who said I've been lying to you?" she asked.

"You just did," Nancy told her. "I suspected when I saw you this morning. You look like you haven't been sleeping well, and your posture right now tells me everything I need to know. Why did you hide this from me, Del? How bad have they been?"

"It's nothing," Shepard sighed. "Just…_restlessness_."

"Bad dreams are _more_ than just restlessness," Nan insisted gently, touching Del's back. If the damp sweat soaking her tank bothered her, she didn't show it. "I can't help you with a problem if you don't share it with me, sweetie."

"I don't even remember them," Del said as she looked at her. "They're just…disjointed impressions, that's all. They just keep waking me up. I never remember them. It's stress, that's all. Dr. Wyatt, the hearing, being stuck with my thumbs up my a-…_uh_…being stuck with nothing to do…not being _listened _too all over again…"

"Who isn't listening to you?"

"The damn defense committee!" Shepard replied hotly. "They drag me in to ask for my opinion and suggestions, and when I give it to them, they start hemming and hawing over their allocations budget, finding ways things _won't_ work."

"They're doing their job the best they can. Their hands are tied up nearly as much as yours."

"Maybe, but those tied hands are going to end up killing _everyone_. It took an entire _fleet _to take down Sovereign, with horrible casualties, and that was just _one_ Reaper, Nan. We are not ready. We're nowhere _near_ ready, and honestly…I don't see how we can ever _be_ ready. If those things get to Earth, we're dead. Even if we had a hundred years and all the money in the world, we'd _still be dead_. I just…I don't see what else we can do."

"Don't lose hope, Del," Nan said softly, taking her shoulders. "I believe in miracles-"

"Miracles," Del snorted weakly.

"I _do_," Nan insisted. "Look at everything that has happened! It was a miracle that you were able to stop that Saren fellow. It was a miracle that you were able to go to the galactic core, take out an entire station full of Collectors, and return. It was a miracle that the Alliance raided the very Cerberus base I was being held on, and it was a damn miracle that brought you _back _to me."

"They weren't miracles," Shepard murmured. "Just a lot of goddamn hard work."

Nan smiled gently. "Then, _that_ is what will bring about the _next _miracle. A lot of goddamned hard work."

Del snorted a faint laugh, then sighed. "I'm just so tired, Nan."

"I know," she replied. "But you are not in this fight alone, darling. And whatever miracle remains to be, it will _not _happen on its own. You have to _keep_ working, keep _pushing_, and find those that will push _with_ you. People like Ashley."

Del stiffened. "Ashley _hates_ me."

"Then you need to get her _back_ on your side, Del, instead of fighting her so hard…in the ring or _out of it_. Fighting smaller wars isn't going to fix the big one coming down on us, so you need to choose. You can't afford to turn away allies over misunderstandings."

Del's eyes shifted away from hers a moment, before she nodded.

"Good," Nan straightened. "Now. You and I are going to discuss your nightmares tomorrow. For now, you need a shower…very _badly_."

Del chuckled, shaking her head. Reaching up to the taller woman, Nan drew her head down and kissed her forehead. "Go on love. Shower, and a hot meal, and get some rest. We'll talk more later."

* * *

The morning sun cast shafts of gold through the slowly breaking cloud cover. Del stood at the window in her detention room, leaning on the frame with one arm cast above her head. Her blunt nails were lightly drumming a tune against the glass, her soft, almost inaudible hums accompanying it as she looked over the waking complex.

Another fruit born of the monotony that had become her life was the time to think…far too _much_ time to think.

She thought about Torfan. She thought about Sikilke, the batarian woman who had taken and nearly killed her in some twisted retribution for her son dying at Shepard's hands. The wrist of the hand tapping against the glass still bore the scars of the meat-hooks Sikilke had fastened her down with…thin spider lines that did not truly convey the horrific injury she'd sustained by literally tearing the flesh from her own hand.

She thought of Saren, and of Benezia…souls perverted and twisted by Sovereign until they were puppets to a synthetic god. She thought of Osco, and how her madness and broken heart had raged over Benezia's death, imprinting that lust for revenge on the souls of her two hapless children.

She thought of Eír, and Shrive, and Aratoht. She thought of the expression on Liara's face when she'd told her what had happened, that her baby sister and her bondmate were dead because of what Del had done. That expression still haunted her, awake and asleep.

She sighed, her thoughts lingering on Liara. Six months, and she had heard _nothing_ from the asari. Wilcher had sent her a message saying nothing more than 'Blue is safe' about a week after Shepard had arrived back on Earth, but from Liara herself…there was nothing.

Then, there had been pretty much no communication from _anyone_. She had no idea how Sydney was faring on Sur'Kesh, if Mordin was making any advancements toward understanding or helping her indoctrination. Not a single goddamn word.

Logically, she knew the Alliance was probably either intercepting or completely blocking her messages, but down inside it felt more as if she had simply been abandoned. In the long hours late at night, after those irritating little dreams had woken her, this feeling only grew and expanded, and she hated herself for it.

Hated herself, and did not blame _them._

How _could_ she blame them? She was a mass murderer as far as they were concerned. She'd killed Liara's _sister_. How could she expect the asari to ever speak to her again after all the pain she had put her through?

She felt heavy, and dull in spirit. What was there to fight for then? If Liara had left her, what remained to believe in?

_Her happiness. Her __**existence**__. Doesn't matter if she loves you or not, __**you**__ love __**her**__…and this galaxy needs her in it._

She hummed a little more, fingers tapping a faint staccato. _The start of a song perhaps? Hmm. Isn't bad…and it would be something else to fill the time, writing a song. Bit more productive than beating up cocky privates fresh out of boot-_

Her thoughts were broken as motion caught her eye. Shifting her gaze, refocusing past the glass, she lifted her eyebrows a bit.

Her window overlooked a pair of courtyards. One joined the detention center to the rest of the complex. The other was a training yard, its grass vividly green in the bright morning sun.

"Huh," she said to no one in. "Someone brought their kid on base."

A rank of guardsmen were at muster at the far end of the training yard. Behind them and nearer to Shepard, a little girl was running circles in the grass. She had some kind of toy in her hand…a model ship, perhaps, or an old fashioned plane. She was visibly laughing as she swooped it through the air, making it dip and dive and bank, her dark hair streaming behind her.

_Has to be one of the officer's kids. Odd that she'd be playing out in the-_

Her door hissed open, and in irritation Shepard looked away from the window and glared. Yet another thing that fucking sucked about house arrest. No one ever fucking _knocked._

"Vega, you ever heard of manners?" she asked tersely as the LT saluted.

"Sorry ma'am," he replied.

"You're not supposed to _salute_ me, either, James-…what's going on?"

"Admiral Anderson landed on base not twenty minutes ago," he said hurriedly. "He's called the defense committee and wants you there immediately."

"Anderson? Sounds serious," she frowned as she walked toward the door. "And he sent you? You're not on my guard rotation."

"All I know is he called up and gave me an order to get you and bring you down to chambers immediately," he said, falling in to step beside her.

As they moved into the corridor, she could see instantly that this was something beyond serious. People were rushing everywhere…every face grim and intent. A cold ball began to form in her gut.

At the end of the hall she saw Anderson himself striding toward her. He gave her a nod and a thin smile, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere.

"Shepard, good to see you," he said, reaching out and shaking her hand, even as he turned and urged her to continue on. "How have you been?"

"Oh, being lazy, getting fat," she said dryly. "Watching lots of porn."

"That's good," he said distractedly, and she snorted a little. He obviously hadn't really heard a word she'd said.

"Sir, what's going on?" she asked. "What's _happening_?"

"Several of our outposts have gone dark as of early this morning," he told her, never pausing his stride. "We're getting reports…_bad_ reports. Reports of big, bad, and _nasty_."

She grabbed his arm, halting him as she pierced his gaze. "The Reapers?" she asked.

_God, don't let it be them. We're not ready…we're nowhere __**near **__ready!_

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell us," he replied, but she could see the expression behind his eyes. He didn't need her to tell him jack _shit_.

"Jesus fuck, Anderson…you already _know _what it is, the same as I do!"

"We haven't any official confirmation yet," he insisted. "But yes…I feel it in my gut as you do. We need to talk to the committee. You put your stamp on this and I'll do the rest."

"My _stamp_?" she blurted, incredulous. "They hardly believe anything I say!"

"That's not true," he retorted. "They trust you-"

"That's why I'm rotting in this detention center without a ship, a crew, or a rank? Because I'm so goddamn _trusted_-"

"Del, that's _not_ true and that's _not_ fair," Anderson grumped. "You _know_ how damned lucky you are that you weren't fully discharged, left rotting in a prison somewhere or stood against a post and _shot_. _Anyone else_ would have been."

She blew out a breath, wiping a hand over her face, before she lowered her head and nodded. "I know, sir. I know. I'm sorry, I'm just…we're just _not_ ready for this."

"I know," he agreed grimly, then looked past her a moment. "Hang on, one second."

He stepped past her, and she looked after him to see Ashley standing a few yards away. She had a nice bruise on her cheek, but other than that, bore no marks from their little tiff the day before. She looked at Shepard as if she were all but a stranger, before focusing on Anderson. The Admiral murmured to her a moment before Ashley nodded, then stepped back, tossing off a salute, and striding away.

Del said nothing, only rejoined Anderson, Vega tagging along behind.

They crossed the courtyard, guardsmen saluting and buzzing them through. When they reached the door to the committee chambers, Anderson looked at Vega.

"We won't be needing you any more, Lt. Vega," he said. "Report back to the center. There's a million and one things that need doing."

"Aye, sir," Vega replied, then looked at Del. "Good luck in there, Comm-…Shepard."

"Thank you, Vega."

The committee chambers were no less frantic and bustling than the rest of the base, yet as Shepard and Anderson strode in, an odd sort of hesitant hush seemed to come over everything. She could feel the weight of dozens of eyes on her as she strode to the middle of the room.

Admiral Dasan, Rear-Admiral Perri, and the others on the committee were gathered behind a large desk that dominated most of the far wall, just beneath a huge set of windows that overlooked the city. A dozen scattered data pads and reports littered the surface. Admiral Dasan was standing as he discussed one of them with Admiral Rickett, the normally solemn woman appearing even more solemn than usual. She seemed to have aged overnight.

"David…Shepard," Dasan greeted as he caught sight of them, his attention drawn by the sudden drop in ambient noise. "Good, you're here."

"What's happened, sir?" Shepard asked.

"We were hoping you would tell us," he said, gesturing. A private ran up, passing Shepard a data pad. As she looked at it critically, Rickett spoke up.

"More of our outposts are going dark. Two frigates that passed through the Sol relay almost immediately dropped off our scans. This is what they were able to transmit before they went silent."

Though the scan image was vague, the silhouette was one Shepard would never forget. A great, metal hand seeming to reach out, enormous fingers ready to crush everything in sight.

"You _already_ know what this is," she said angrily, her temper –as always- her best mask for her fear. The cold knot in her gut grew teeth, sank deeper. "The Reapers are _here._"

There was a rumble through the room. Dasan's eyes narrowed. "You're absolutely sure?"

_I'm so sick of hearing that question_, Del thought with a glower. "Yes, I _am_ sure. And so are _you_."

"So…what do we do?" Rickett asked.

_I've been telling you for __**six months**__ what to do, and it was never in the goddamn __**budget**__!_

Del physically had to restrain herself from shouting those words. They would help no one. Instead, she said, "We _survive_, that's what we do. Draw the fleets back, form a blockade line before they get any deeper into our territory. Evacuate as many people was we can to Poseidon and Serenity and-"

"_Sirs_! Sirs, we've lost contact with Luna base!" someone suddenly called out. Shepard blinked and turned, eyes wide, her thoughts echoing Anderson's words.

"The _moon_? How…they can't be there _already_?"

"_What?_ Our defenses-" Rickett began, only to be cut off by another shout.

"Sirs, we have feeds coming in from London and New York…Sydney, Moscow, Chicago…my God, _Seattle_-"

"_Display!_" Dasan ordered.

The wall was suddenly filled with a dozen news feeds and military surveillance. Shouting voices filled the air, the images rife with static and interference. Shepard felt as if her entire body had gone numb as she took a step toward the images, then another.

Screams. Flashes of huge leviathans dropping from roiling clouds. Buildings on fire, people running, crying frantically. A great, tearing noise, the bleating, rumbling trumpet of death. All of it shone from the flashing feeds, casting light and shadow over her face, dancing in her eyes.

Her mouth felt dry, her throat tightening. Then, she felt Anderson's hand on her shoulder, the man steadying himself as he watched as well, and felt her resolve tighten.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, stepping back a pace and looking at the pale-faced Admirals. "There's only one thing left that we _can_ do."

Their shocked eyes shifted to her, Rickett with her hand over her mouth. Tears were shining in her eyes. Del's voice was low, but clear.

"We _fight_…or we die."

"Th-that's our plan?" Dasan demanded. "That's all we can-?"

He broke off as that same, gut-wrenching sound suddenly rattled the windows, the oncoming bray of the Horsemen themselves. The Admirals turned, staring at the window as a dark shadow suddenly blocked the sun, descending on the city.

To Shepard, it seemed as if it were Sovereign himself, returned from whatever grave or hell Reapers were cast into. A single eye, shimmering crimson, seemed to seek her out, fixing her with its eternal, triumphant gaze.

_No, __**not **__an eye, it's-_

"_Move_!" she shouted, even as she turned and began to run.

The world lit up in fire, a tremendous sound shredding the world. Glass shattered, metal tore, mortar and wood and plastic belching forth the flaming heat of a dragon. Something huge sailed over Shepard's head, and only a dim part of her realized it was the very desk the Admirals had been using.

She skipped as the ground shook, stumbling, crashing hard to her knees and then her stomach. She surged up, then felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She whirled around just in time to see another lance of crimson, to feel the pulse of a shockwave bat her aside like a man might swat a fly. As swiftly as she registered that she was in the air she was crashing with bone-cracking force into the wall. Flaming heat dried her mouth, seared her lungs, stole her air.

She hit the ground and everything seemed to go still and silent. Sound had vanished, sensation had vanished, black threatening to overtake her. Slowly, painfully slowly, the dark edged back and the sound returned, as if someone were turning up the volume on a radio. A low, repetitive sound clarified into her name.

"_Shepard? Shepard!"_

A face loomed overhead and she swatted at it weakly. Anderson caught her hand and tapped her cheek firmly. "Shepard! _Focus_! You all right?"

She coughed, grimacing, then nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine…"

He helped her to sit, then hauled her to her feet.

The room was filled with smoke and ruin, unrecognizable as the committee chambers it had been only moments before. Bodies, none of them moving, were scattered everywhere, some half buried in debris, others burned beyond recognition. The smell was gritty and cloying, only partly alleviated by the sweep of fresh, harbor-tinged air that moved in through the desiccated remnants of the great windows. Beyond the gloom and billowing clouds of smoke and dust, she could see slices of blue sky…see the great shapes moving over the city. One…two…no, _four_ of them, visible from just this vantage alone.

Pressing the back of her hand unconsciously to a gash on her cheek, she knelt down by Admiral Rickett's body, feeling for a pulse without holding out much hope for one. The flesh beneath her fingers was still.

"We have to get out of here," Anderson was saying, wiping soot from his face. "Get in contact with the fleets."

As he activated his omni-tool, Del's eyes went wide, and she surged to her feet, rushing toward the enormous ruin blocking the door. As she began to haul at debris, Anderson activated his omni-tool. "_Williams_! Williams, this is Anderson, are you reading me?"

A pause, then he tried again as he strode toward Del. Cramming her shoulder under a beam she tried to heave it out of the way, gritting her teeth.

"Williams! Please respond!"

"…_here, Anderson…I read you."_

"Good, where are you?"

"…_with…gado and Vega, we're heading for…tssss…port. What's….tus?"_

"We're in the committee chambers, the doorway is blocked. I'm here with Shepard, we'll meet you at the _Normandy_!"

"…_.n-four…"'_

Shepard hauled harder at the beam, and Anderson stepped over, gripping her arm. "Stop, we can't get out that way, there's no way we can shift all this. We'll have to work our way down outside. We need to get to the port and on to the _Normandy_. Williams is heading that way now."

"_No!"_ Shepard growled with surprising venom, not releasing her hold on the beam. "I _have_ to find Nancy! I can't leave her behind, she could be hurt!"

"Williams intercepted Nan when she came on base," Anderson told her sternly. "I knew she'd be arriving at 0700, she always _does_. Ash is with Nan and Vega now and they're heading to the _Normandy._ Now _move_, marine! That's an order!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: One may note in this chapter that Del does NOT have an omni-tool or an omni-blade. Don't worry, she will later. It's another point on which the game and I disagree. I understand _why_ the game presented Shepard as having an omni-blade as they escaped toward the _Normandy_, but realistically…she just wouldn't.

Keep in mind, Shepard is technically a _prisoner_, under house-arrest and requiring an armed escort wherever she goes. She would not be _allowed _a weapon, (remember, Anderson had to _give_ her a pistol after the committee was destroyed) and an omni-blade _definitely_ qualifies as a weapon.

Also, chapter is left-of-canon.

I know...shock. Awe. **_Surprise_**.

* * *

Boots landed in the soft soil of the decorative planter ledge, crushing flowers and small clovers. Shepard glanced up at the hole raped into the side of the building only six feet above her, watching as Anderson emerged from the billowing smoke and landed beside her.

"Here, you'll need these," he said, passing her a pistol and an ear bud. "I hope you still remember how to shoot."

Slipping the bud into her ear, she checked over the pistol. "This isn't going to be easy," she said. "The launch is on the other side of the complex and we're four stories in the air."

"Don't tell me you're losing your touch," he huffed, moving to the edge of the wide planter and looking downward. "You'll tackle a thresher maw barehanded but balk at a little climb down a building?"

She scowled at him, her gaze then shifting outward over the city. She could see the vista clearly…more clearly than she wanted too. Tornados of smoke were roiling from burning and collapsed buildings, the dashing smear of flames blooming here and there. The four huge Reapers seemed almost to wade along the streets, striking with their crimson lances, dark metal swallowing rather than reflecting sunlight. She could see now that the four were not the _only_ ones. A smaller Reaper, more compact, appeared briefly through the streets before she lost sight of it again.

The wailing of strike alarms were echoing through the air, mixing with that devastating cacophonous bellow the Reapers themselves occasionally let forth.

_How many thousands of people are dying down there right now? How many millions world-wide? _

Shifting her gaze downward, she slapped Anderson's shoulder. "We can get down here. C'mon, let's move."

They worked down to the third floor, and then the second. As they plotted a path to the first, one of the larger Reapers sent another blast in their direction, tearing through the building just overhead. Shepard's knuckles went white as she clung desperately to her hold on the side of the building, the entire structure shaking violently. Chunks of concrete and debris rained down around her shoulders, one heavy enough to nearly knock her free. She grit her teeth and hissed, mentally calculating how far it was to the ground.

Deciding it was worth the risk she let go. A few moments of free-fall, and her feet came up hard on the ground. Following her jump-suit training she folded and rolled, ignoring the skid of concrete over one arm as she got back to her feet.

Something rumbled high above. Darting to the side, she threw an arm over her face as a piece of debris the size of a skycar crashed down nearby. Coughing, she drew her side-arm, looking upward. "Anderson!"

"Here!" he coughed, and she turned around. He had fared a bit more poorly in his landing than she did, a scrape on his head bleeding nicely. He backhanded it in irritation, then jerked his chin. "This way. We can get across to the launch pad through the training yard."

The distant sound of gunfire almost resembled fireworks going off. Heading off at a trot, Shepard on his heels, Anderson called into his radio again.

"_Williams!_ Anderson! I'm linking Shepard in. Report!"

_{…illiams, sir! We've got husks on the ground and…__**fuck, get down**__!}_

There was a hollow boom, heard both through their comm connection and through the air around them. Fire bloomed up in the distance, in the direction of the launch.

"Williams! Report!"

_{Evac shuttle just went down! It barely missed us! They've got…some kind of combat drones, the size of our fighters, and these units that almost look like…like __**dragons**__. They're engaging our airborne forces. We're all right but they'll be razing the launch in a moment!}_

"Ash, is Nan ok?" Shepard demanded.

_{She's fine! We're pushing…__**damn it**__! What's your location?}_

"We've just entered the training yard," Anderson told her as the passed into the open area. "We're going to cross through the barracks."

_{Be advised, there's a swarm of husks heading your way!}_

"Understood!"

_Husks. Fucking terrific_, Del thought as she snapped her pistol up. No hard-suit, no barriers, nothing but her plain grunt uniform and a pistol with a single thermal clip in it. _What I wouldn't fucking give for my katana, at the __**very **__fucking least._

She couldn't discount Anderson, though he was similarly lacking in both armor and armament. The man had not been directly on the front line in years but he was a marine through and through…and every goddamn marine was a warrior. No amount of jockeying a helm or a desk could _ever _change that.

They were only halfway across the yard when the tell-tale moans filled the air. In moments, a dozen husks appeared, cybernetics gleaming in ashen flesh. Grimly, Shepard took down four of them almost as soon as they appeared, before something new rushed out after them.

Simmering light roiled inside one gaping maw, then another, as the things came on. It wasn't until they got closer that she realized with a jolt that they were _batarians_…or _had_ been, at one point. It seemed the Reapers didn't only pervert _humans_ to their purposes.

Unlike the human husks as well, these ones were _armed._

Bullets chewed up the grass in front of her feet, making her dance backward and rush to the side, seeking cover. A sparring dummy erupted into shreds of cloth and batting and she dropped to her back, pistol barking frantically in her hand.

Head, then throat gave way, and the batarian-thing tumbled to the dirt. She got back to her feet, taking advantage of the lull to get behind a target wall. A husk collided with her, its unexpected weight stumbling her back as hands like charred wood closed around her throat. Jamming the barrel of her weapon into its gut hard enough to drive it in an inch, she squeezed the trigger three times, as fast as she was able too. Dust fell over her wrist and forearm as the thing's abdomen came apart and its grip loosened. Driving it back, she unloaded a final shot into its head, slapping her hand clean against her hip.

Around the wall she saw Anderson had taken out the other batarian mutation. She pegged an oncoming husk in the legs and then the head as it rushed at his position, and then that sharp crimson fire drove in close again.

The lance of molten metal, moving at nearly light-speed, nevertheless appeared to be shifting in slow motion as it plowed a trench through the sod of the training yard, then cut into the barracks. She ducked back behind the wall as fire and timber lashed out across the field, the ground bellowing beneath her feet.

Shaking her head, her ears ringing, she straightened and looked upward. That shot had come from the clouds. The Reapers were striking from _orbit_, as well as from their units dirt-side.

Moving out from cover, she passed through the billows of dirt, hopping over the laceration of churned up earth. Anderson materialized from the clouds of brown, coated liberally with it.

"Come on! We have to keep moving!" he urged.

The barracks were ruined, half-collapsed after the strike. The door was clear enough, but the inner area was clogged with debris. Still, it was their shortest way across to the launch and they couldn't afford to be picky. Ignoring the embers and the small fires burning here and there, Shepard and Anderson shoved some debris away from the far door. The portal was jammed, open only half a foot, its HI flashing red.

Pistol ready, she cleared and then looked through the gap. The hall beyond was in ruins as well but not completely blocked off. "I think we can get through here," she told the Admiral, before shipping her gun. Bracing her shoulder in the gap, she planted her hands against the far door and pushed, straining to part them a little bit further.

A reluctant moan of grinding metal punctuated the gap widening a little. Nodding to Anderson, she waited while he ducked beneath her arms, slipping through the gap and into the hall beyond.

Turning, he took hold of the doors himself, ready to hold them so that she could pass through. As he did, the faint rumble of metal sounded behind her.

The sound should have been lost, or ignored in the chaos of noise around them. Alarms were still wailing, the Reapers still rumbled their teeth-gritting bellows. The crackle of fire, the thunder of collapsing buildings, the uneven bursts of gunfire…all mixed into a mind-numbing symphony. The comparatively soft rattle should hardly have drawn her attention.

Yet, that sound was so intimately familiar to her that Del immediately jolted, her head whipping around.

"What is it?" Anderson asked.

"Just…one second," she urged, and stepped back from the door. Drawing her pistol she scanned the room, head slightly tilted as her eyes crawled over the debris, over the walls.

_Thummthump._

Behind a smoldering bunk that had been cast against one wall, she could see the edge of a vent grate. Moving over, she hauled the bunk out of the way, revealing the grate had been pulled off the vent in question, leaving it exposed.

As the bunk shifted, something inside the vent retreated with a swift thump and rattle. Crouching, Del peered within.

"Hey," she said gently, spotting the small but unmistakable form a few feet away, near the junction. Pale little hands pressed on the thin polished metal, big, aqueous eyes regarding her warily under a fall of dark hair.

It was the little girl she had seen earlier, playing with her toy in the yard…the officer's kid. Poor thing looked terrified.

"Hey, it's _ok_," Del murmured. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She held out her hand, and instantly the girl hurried back another foot with a faint gasp.

"No, no, kiddo, don't do that," she urged kindly.

"People are dying," the child whispered fearfully.

"I know, sweetheart," Del replied. "I'm going to stop that, make all these bad things go away…but you need to trust me. I need you to come out of there. I'll keep you safe."

"You can't help me," the girl insisted. "You can't help _anyone_."

"You've got to come out of there," Shepard urged again. She was trying not to frighten the girl but lingering here was not safe for _either _of them. "Please…just take my hand, and I'll get you away from all this."

"Shepard! What are you doing?" Anderson called from the doorway. She turned to look at him, frowning.

"Just a minute! There's a kid-"

She looked back at the vent, breaking off. The small space was empty.

The girl was gone.

"_Ta ma de_!" she huffed, slamming the heel of her hand against the edge of the vent. _"Cao!"_

She couldn't go in after her. While she would fit, there was no telling which direction the girl had done, nor how far the vents extended. The entire building could collapse while she was crawling in a maze looking for the child.

Yet, she was torn about leaving her there. The girl would only get herself killed, or end up trapped and starving somewhere in those close, dark tunnels, should the building collapse around her.

"Hey, _come back_!" Del called desperately, her voice echoing. "_Please_, come back…it'll be all right!"

"_Shepard_! We have to get moving!" Anderson barked. Del slammed her hand against the vent again, then straightened to her feet.

Striding back to Anderson she slipped through the gap as he hauled on the doors, joining in him the far hall.

"What was _that_ all about?" he asked.

"There was a kid," she replied. "Hiding in the vent. I was trying to get her out but she bolted."

"A kid?" he blinked. "What's a kid doing on base?"

"Probably belonged to one of the Admirals or an officer," she said. "Maybe they couldn't find a babysitter-"

"Strange," he murmured. "Hopefully she manages to get somewhere shady. Cruel as it sounds we can't afford to spare the time to look for her. There's going to be a thousand kids hiding in the rubble, and a million more _dead_ if we don't find a way to stop these things."

Shepard said nothing, only set to moving debris as they worked their way down the corridor. Though she knew he was right, her mind kept returning to those frightened little eyes, her soul twisting into dark knots and only reaffirming over and over again how much of a monster she truly was.

_Leaving a child behind? A helpless little girl? What kind of a person __**does **__something like that?_

Baring her teeth, she hefted and pitched a small broken beam out of their way as Anderson touched his radio.

"Williams, we're nearly to the port, what's your status?"

_{We've just reached the _Normandy_, but the port is taking heavy fire from one of the smaller Reapers. They've taken down six transports already! We've got to lift off, we're sitting ducks here. You'll have to re-route and we'll rendezvous at a safer location!}_

"Shit…ten-four! We'll head for the harbor!"

Looking at Shepard, his face streaked with blood, sweat, dirt and ash, his voice was grim. "Two miles through the city to the harbor with God only knows _what_ between us and there."

"We're gonna need better weapons," Shepard told him.

"There's a security locker near the port, but it's going to be hot if what Ash said is correct. So…suicide run for the locker or suicide run for the harbor?"

"I say hit the locker," Shepard voted. "I'd rather die going for guns than just running."

He smiled, slapping her shoulder. "So would I. Let's go."

* * *

Streaked with sweat and dirt and out of breath, Ashley dropped her helmet to the deck as she ran for the nearest console, lighting it up.

"_Hang on!"_ a voice suddenly shouted over the comm. _"Got a cruiser about to go-"_

Her hands clamped down on the edges of the console even as the _Normandy_ suddenly lurched to one side, shuddering violently in the wake of a cruiser's eezo core going critical. To one side of the bay, Nan stumbled and would have fallen had Vega not caught hold of her.

"Easy now, I got you," he said, his other hand bracing on a workbench.

"_We're clear!"_

"Head for the harbor, Anderson and Shepard are going to rendezvous with us there," Ash ordered. "Vega, get Nan upstairs."

"No, I'm staying," Nancy protested. Ash looked up at her.

"It'll be safer upstairs-"

"Nowhere is safe right now. I don't have to tell you _that_. I'm waiting here."

Ash reluctantly conceded with a faint shake of her head. "I see where Shepard gets her stubborn streak from."

"Oh no, she had that all on her own before I met her," Nancy replied. "Let's just hope it serves her as well now as it has in the past."

* * *

The locker had been hit hard in the Reaper strikes, but they were able to salvage some thermal clips and rifles from the mess. No armor or barriers still, but they felt somewhat better with the heavier guns, as they struck out for the harbor. Anderson was also able to salvage a homing beacon from the ruins of a downed evac shuttle…which would save valuable time when they reached the harbor, allowing the _Normandy_ to pinpoint their position exactly.

"How do you stop something like this?" he panted as they took momentary shelter in a doorway. One of the larger, Sovereign-class Reapers was directly overhead, muffling them in its shadow as continued undaunted about its horrific task. "How do you stop something so _powerful_?"

A shriek, and they both ducked back as a skycar whipped past only a dozen feet above the street. Its aft was on fire, and close behind it came what could only be one Ash's 'dragons'. Four legged, four winged, inescapably Reaper tech, the thing flashed past after the skycar like a hawk determined to bring down a ptarmigan.

Stepping out from the doorway, Shepard's face lit up with the strobing light of her rifle muzzle as she fired at the thing. She saw the irritating flash of barriers as her bullets rippled them. The scycar crashed hard into the street, skidding and spinning before slamming sideways into a building.

Anderson on her heels, Shepard rushed the 'dragon' as it landed nearby, orienting on the helpless car. They raked bullets over it again as they clambered over cinderblocks and shattered heaps of concrete and asphalt.

Then, their shot was joined by another barrage, to the west. A small group of cops and privates from the base rushed out of an alley, laying into the creature. Its barriers flared brighter under the attrition, and it turned away from the skycar to address this new threat.

Two of the civvie cops rushed past it to the car, helping the injured civilians from the wreck. Anderson ran their way as Shepard continued on toward the 'dragon', pressing it hard along with the others. The moment the barriers went down and the first of the bullets chewed into its flexible metal hide, it really went mad, lashing at its tormenters with sword-like claws. Del ducked as its tail whipped over her head, ratcheting and clicking like chain-links snapping into place.

She had a standard rule when facing big targets…_get in as fucking close as possible_. Big things usually had _big_ blind-spots, or areas close in where their attacks were ineffectual. A four legged thing like this, its vulnerability was obvious: its belly.

Even with its somewhat flexible 'neck' it could not see her under there. It could not strike at her without moving far enough to get her into reach of its claws, and it presented the biggest area of target. Rushing in under its gut, Del ducked her head, heaving metal and circuitry only inches above her. Dropping to her knees, she aimed her rifle upward and opened fire, peppering shot as fast and intent as she could along the sweep of its abdomen.

Armor dented and punctured, shredding under the relentless blasts. Tiny shards of debris skipped past her cheeks, opening little cuts. She turned her head slightly, protecting her eyes, but did not let up.

The 'dragon', sensing the damage and infuriated, turned and began to back up, seeking to target her. The other soldiers concentrated their fire on its head, distracting it again.

Now some viscous fluid -a lubricant or a bioconductive gel of some kind- was seeping out of the 'wounds' she had created. It rained down, sticking in her hair, slipping in hot drool down her cheeks. Unsure if it was dangerous or corrosive, she edged back a little, her gun suddenly ratcheting impotently as her thermal clip overheated. Turning, she darted out from under the thing, ejecting her clip and slamming a new one into place, just as the machine wobbled and began to sag. Whirling she rejoined her fire toward its head, and the beast finally collapsed, useless, to the ground.

Wiping a hand over her face, flicking away some of the goop, Shepard ran around the dead beast to where Anderson had taken shelter with the wounded civvies and the cops in the alleyway.

He was crouched by a sobbing woman's side, the bloody gash in her leg being treated and bound by one of the officers. Rising, he strode over to Del, grasping her hand and pressing the beacon into it.

"Get to the harbor," he ordered. "Rendezvous with the _Normandy_."

"You want me to bring them back here to evac these people?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I want you to take command. Get out of the Sol system, take her to the Citadel. We need to rally the other races and get their fleets on our side, or Earth is lost."

"Anderson!"

"We cannot win this on our own, you _know_ that! Without the other races, we're done for. I know you want to stay, Shepard. I know you want to fight, but this is a war we can't afford to lose."

"What about _you_?"

"I need to stay here. These people need organization, a leader. We need to get as many civilians clear of the hot-zones as we can and coordinate with other cities and resistance forces around the world. My place is _here_. Yours is up _there_, doing what you do best…threatening, hitting, and charming a galaxy into following you into hell. Now _get moving_! That's an _order_!"

Half glancing around as the other soldiers from the street entered the alley, Shepard then gave him a pointed look. "I don't _take_ orders from you any more…remember?"

Giving her a grim smirk, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a set of dog-tags. Grabbing her hand, he slapped them into her palm.

"Not how I wanted to do this, but I can't afford to be picky. The suspension paperwork cleared last week. I was going to make you my new XO. At any rate, consider yourself reinstated, _Commander._ Now get your ass to the _Normandy_, and save the goddamn world."

She stared down at her tags in her hand, before closing her fingers over them. Straightening, she met his eyes, then saluted. He saluted in return, then grabbed her shoulder and drew her in, hugging her tightly a moment.

"God go with you," he urged, then released her and turned to the others. "All right, let's get these civvies to an evac point and secure this street!"

Tucking her tags into her pocket, Shepard lifted her rifle into her hands. Wordlessly, she turned and ran out of the alley, heading for the harbor.

* * *

Half a dozen wrecks, most still smoking or flame, floated in the waters of the harbor as Shepard reached a clear point. Planting the beacon on a rail post she activated it, then hit her ear bud.

"_Normandy_, this is Commander Shepard! I've activated a beacon on the harbor. Request immediate evac!"

_{Roger that, Shepard,}_ Ashley replied. _{We're circling back around, had to swing hard west to avoid some heavy bombardment. Where's Anderson? What's his status?}_

"Anderson is hanging back here, organizing the ground forces and helping to evac civilians."

_{One moment, Shepard….uh, roger that, Commander. Anderson just confirmed his orders with the helm. ETA to your position, four minutes.}_

Del heard the tell-tale groans of husks growing nearer, and swiftly found cover. Four minutes was an eternity of time in battle, and she was on her own.

Keeping her back to the harbor, she went to one knee. As the first wave of husks appeared she opened fire, mowing them down like wheat even as they came on. A hundred yards away, further down the harbor, she saw a civilian police shuttle land. A few officers moved off, ushering an injured, frightened knot of civvies out of cover and toward the shuttle. A couple drew their weapons and popped a husk or two that meandered their way.

Only watching the civvies out of the corner of her eye, Shepard finished taking down the husks in front of her, then rose back up to her feet. Ten or so were now heading for the evac shuttle. She raked shot over them, sending plumes of gray into the air from their broken bodies as they collapsed.

The civvies had gathered aboard the shuttle. As the officers turned to reboard one gestured at her, urging her their direction. She shook her head, shouting over the din.

"_Go_! I'll cover you!"

He bobbed his head. As he jogged back to the vehicle, a small form darted from the dust and ran toward the gaping door. Shepard blinked, realizing it was the same little girl that she had seen in the vents.

_Kid's quick and fucking resilient to have gotten all the way here from the base._ _She must have crawled out soon after we left, and followed us as we cut a path through the city._

Her heart thudded with relief as the child all but dove on board, hauling herself in to safety. The final officer stepped up after, the shuttle already starting to lift. As it did, the girl seemed to look out past him and directly at Shepard.

Del lifted a hand and waved. "Be safe, kiddo," she urged softly, before more moans lifted in the air. Turning, she zeroed in on the oncoming husks, dropping them as the shuttle lifted up into the air, its door swinging shut.

Then her eyes widened.

Dozens…no, _hundreds_ of husks were rushing toward her, moving through the streets and alleys, even clambering down from roof-tops. A relentless, gray flood was bearing down on her.

Her rifle barked into life as she drew back toward the rail at the harbor's edge. She cut a swath but more still kept coming, their numbers guaranteed to overrun a single soldier with a rifle, no matter how talented or stubborn that soldier was.

When she saw the batarian things converging as well, real fear began to speed her heart.

Husks hit the ground, dropped by her weapon. Her boots and back came up to the railing, the wood splitting and shredding as return fire raked close to her. Slamming the butt of her rifle into the face of a husk that had gotten within grabbing distance, Shepard shoved it back, releasing her hold on her rifle at the same time. Grabbing the railing she turned and leapt over it, plunging ten feet down into the water.

Frigid cold closed over her head, dark blue enveloping the world. As she surged toward the surface, away from land, she could see the white trails of bullets singing into the water around her, humming and pelting and hissing far too close by.

Her head broke the surface. She had no idea if husks of any kind could swim, though she imagined they would probably just sink, but she _did_ know that she had to get out of range of those guns.

She was blessing every single moment spent in the gym the last six months as she stroked powerfully out into the harbor. Bullets still slapped the water around her but by some miracle, none had actually struck home.

Then, that horrible blaring Reaper cry. It was so loud, so close, she literally saw the water around her vibrate and ripple in reaction, the sound waves darting over its surface. Dropping into a tread, she looked back to see one of those smaller Reaper ships looming over the docks where she had just been. More, she saw the civilian evac shuttle, now over the harbor.

She saw the lancing beam of light split the azure sky.

"_No!_" she screamed as the light split the shuttle in two, a blossom of pure destruction flaming in a spectacular orb as the vehicle was all but disintegrated. The wreckage fell like tears into the harbor.

_Those people…that little girl…._

Bobbing slowly as the waves from the wreck's impact reached her, Shepard turned and looked back at the looming monster over the waterfront, its cycloptic eye shifting to cast its judgment upon the streets again, unfeeling and uncaring of the lives obliterated in its wake.

Shepard watched it, floating alone in the harbor, cold and furious and failed, screaming her curses toward an unhearing metal god in an unmitigated vow of retribution, the helpless promise of the damned to the Devil himself.

* * *

Chinese translations:

Ta ma de – damn!

Cao – fuck!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Another notable alteration…I did not break up the call between Hackett and Shepard. The Normandy has quantum entanglement communication capability, and while I know the fleets are getting hit hard I see no real reason communications would be that spotty…especially when they're not spotty at all later on during far more urgent battles with far less reliable equipment.

Thanks to Bladhaire once again for a few bits at the end of this chapter. Incurable romantics for the win!

* * *

"_Subharmonics_!"

The blonde jolted out of a doze, nearly dumping right off of her cot. Barely managing to catch herself she gaped at the salarian past the glass first in bafflement, then in anger.

"What? What the _hell_ are you doing, Mordin? You scared the _shit_ out of me!"

"Apologies, spoke before checking your position, too excited, should have warned you. New theory! Evidence promising!"

Planting her feet on the floor, Sydney ran her hands over her face. First goddamn time in two nights she'd finally started to go to sleep without having to take pills first, and Mordin chose _then_ to scare the living piss out of her.

Six months here, and her sleep had been spotty at best. She supposed insomnia was not to be unexpected, all things considering. She was stuck in a sealed room not fifty feet square, spending her days either under questioning or enduring lab tests, various stress tests, reflex tests…she was so fucking sick of tests of _any_ kind she could fucking _puke_.

Worse was sitting alone with her thoughts. Just _knowing_ she was indoctrinated, a sleeper agent that would turn on those close to her regardless of her own will, was a horror she would not wish upon anyone. Helplessness and depression were bywords to her life now. Unless the salarians could find some kind of cure, _this_ was doomed to be her life…locked away for the safety of others.

It was either that, or death.

Mordin was a damned genius, but six months had gone by and he and his team had yet to pinpoint the actual _cause_ of indoctrination. Without cause, a proper treatment could not be formulated. _Six months_, and the only things that had progressed were her weight-loss, her insomnia, and her despair.

It also didn't help that she was not Solus's only concern. Another, just as high in priority, was in a sealed lab apart from her. She didn't know what that project entailed, only that it existed. The salarians were too damn good at keeping secrets, sometimes.

Sydney herself was quarantined_,_ only Mordin and a small handful of authorized personnel were allowed in direct contact with her. Even Deeds was limited in her access, and in her urgency to help in _some_ fashion, the asari had taken to pooling her resources, seeking out new contacts, _any _information she could find that might help the salarians treat her. Unfortunately, as a result, she could not spend every moment on Sur'Kesh.

This meant that, for much of the time, Sydney was utterly alone.

"What's this new theory?" she asked wearily. "What are you talking about?"

"Brain tissue scans, chemical research, known variables. Symptoms…nightmares, auditory hallucinations, confused memories, feelings of malaise, urgency, anxiety, insomnia. Occurrence with Shepard at Bonneville…revealed new angle."

"What are you rambling about?" she asked, then blinked. "Occurrence with Shepard at Bonneville…what _occurrence_?"

"STG good at intel gathering, classified Alliance records, normally not of concern but…it's Shepard. Like to keep tabs on friends. Terra Firma extremist chemically stimulated her, used subharmonics to induce hallucinatory state, perfect and alterable recall of traumatic memories-"

"What?" Sydney rose to her feet. "Someone did that to Del? _Who_? What happened?"

"Shepard is fine," he reassured, lifting his hands. "Extremist caught, no documented damage. However, got me thinking. _Process_ he used may shed light on indoctrination. New theory. Subharmonics, ultrasonics…_soundwaves_ used to excite memory neurons by vibration, fine-tuned to specific memory engrams, can stimulate them into replay…can _alter _them. Direct, instant conditioning."

"You…you think the Reapers and their artifacts emit these subharmonics? You think that's how they indoctrinate people?"

"Possibly, but likely not _only_ causation. Combination of factors more likely. Subharmonics may only be foundational, begin process. May be nanite technology involved…_atomic_, not nucleic. Far advanced to anything we can produce. Undetectable by our tech. Like trying to find bacteria with simple magnifying glass. However, your indoctrination at early stages…was able to resist. Suggest you may _only_ be affected by subharmonics. Electrochemical therapy and our own subharmonics may reverse process, repair damage."

"That's the best goddamn thing I've heard all day," she said. Moving over to the clear partition, she looked at him, her amber eyes intent. "You can fix this? You can _really_ fix this? What are we waiting for? Let's do it right now…hit me with these…these subharmonics."

"Can't, not able to at moment," Mordin apologized, holding his hands up. "Subharmonics and ultrasonics on this level theoretical science."

"No, no, you said some whack-job had done this to _Del_…used subharmonics to make her relive memories. If _he_ could do it _you_ can!"

"Man is incarcerated, sanity questionable," he replied. "Equipment destroyed by Shepard, no schematics or notes found by Alliance. Possible to reverse engineer damaged tech, however in possession of Alliance researchers. Existence confidential, can't just _ask_ for it."

"You've got to do _something_," she spat. "This is my _life_ Mordin, and right now it consists of two boxes…the one I'm stuck in, and my own goddamn untrustworthy mind! "

He gently placed his hands on the transparency. "Will try, Sydney," he promised softly. "Will try _everything_. Not going to stop, not until answer found…promise that. Have hope…hope important. No hope…die quickly."

She made a helpless gesture, shaking her head. After a moment of silence she asked, "Del's ok though? She's…I mean, after all that…she's all right?"

"Don't know," he replied honestly. "Reports claim no lingering effect. Still, psychotropic chemical introduction, subharmonics induced engram shift…impossible to tell long term effects. Could be fine. Could cause ongoing hallucination, fragmented memory. Trauma from relived or altered memories also a concern, possible increase in PTSD, anger issues."

"_Increased_ anger issues. In _Del?_ The body count will be astronomical," she mumbled. Returning to her bunk she sat down. "Thank you for telling me, Mordin. Even if you can't do anything now I…well, as you said. Hope is…hope is _something._"

* * *

A hand, wet and cold from the harbor, reached up and clasped hold of a dry one, as Ashley helped haul the commander on board. The beacon pulse had led them to the waterfront…only to find it the dock utterly destroyed, the ruins swarming with husks.

It had taken them several minutes to pinpoint the single human woman treading water a hundred yards out, and it was clear the cold had taken its toll on her. Even as she staggered up to her feet, she was noticeably shivering, her lips pale blue.

Nan rushed forward with a towel, draping it around her shoulders as she moved further into the cargo hold, Ashley following as the bay door swung shut behind them.

"You ok?" Shepard asked, her concern focused on the older woman as she gathered the end of her towel and wiped it over her face.

"I'm fine. Not a scratch, thanks to Ash and James and pure fortune."

Shepard cast the towel over a railing and completely unselfconsciously hooked her tunic, hauling the damp cloth off. Beneath it, her black tank was no less soaked. "Helm," she barked as hauled her boots off as well. "Get us to higher orbit! Put us on course for the Citadel!"

"_That's what you call me after all this time? __**Helm**__?_" came the amused retort.

"Joker, is that you?"

"_You think I'd let anyone __**else **__at the wheel of my baby?"_ he asked.

"Good, we're going to _need_ some fancy dancing to get us the fuck out of here. _Citadel_, and put the pedal down."

"_Aye aye, ma'am."_

"Citadel?" James blurted. "Are you kidding me? The fight's _here_!"

Del looked at the big man balefully. A handful of others, all strangers, were gathered around staring at her.

"I don't like it either," she said, and peeled off her soaked cargos. Now only in wet tank and panties, she scrubbed the towel over her hair again, trying to dry off and warm up. "Those are our orders."

"Screw that!" he said heatedly. "I'm _not_ leaving like some damn coward! Just drop me off-"

The towel snapped around her neck, and she stiffened. Even drenched, standing in her undergarments in a cargo-hold full of gaping strangers, Shepard was a force to be reckoned with.

"That's _enough_ Lieutenant!" she barked. "You think _I _want to leave? There are thousands, _millions_ of people dying down there! I want to stay and fight just as much as you do, but we're _not _going to win this fight on our own. We are going to the Citadel to rally the other races and get some more fleets on our doorstep. If you don't like it, once we dock you can find a goddamn bike and pedal your ass back here. Until then, you _will_ follow orders or I _will_ shove you in the goddamn brig, _is that clear_?"

He scowled, then bobbed his head. "Aye, ma'am."

"Good. Now, what kind of crew do we have, Chief?"

"LC, and skeletal, ma'am," Ashley replied as Shepard scooped up her wet cargos, drawing her dog-tags out of the pocket and slinging them around her neck. "We had some R&D on board and Joker's security detail when we took off, couple of folks working down in engineering. "

"LC?" Shepard lifted a brow, noticing the rank insignia on the other woman's armor. "Sorry, I didn't realize. That's it as far as crew? No medical?"

"No medical," Ashley replied, waving away the apology.

"Ma'am?" A young man stepped forward, saluting stiffly. "Sgt. James Haley, ma'am. I am in charge of the security detail. Given the circumstances we allowed Mr. Moreau to helm the ship…we had no other qualified pilots aboard."

"I wouldn't want any other," she replied. "I think it's safe to say that his need for your detail is on suspension at the moment. I can use you and your men on other duties."

"Yes, ma'am. Understood."

She gave him a strange look. "You…look kind of familiar, Haley. Have we met?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "A few years ago, ma'am. I was sent to rescind your shore leave orders before the mission at Eden Prime, ma'am."

"_That's_ right, you're the Coolie that fetched me from the bar night before launch."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied tersely. "And it is Sergeant now."

"Well, then, _Sarge_, how are we on supplies?"

The fellow glanced at Ashley a moment before returning his gaze to Del. "I would have to check with the requisitions officer but I believe supplies are minimal at best. The _Normandy_ wasn't outfitted for any kind of mission launch."

"Who's the req officer?" Shepard asked.

"We…don't _have_ one, ma'am," Ashley supplied. Shepard lifted her brows, then looked back at Haley.

"Well, we do _now_. Haley, you're it. Req officer and head of security until we're fully crewed. See to it we get some beans and bullets when we dock at the Citadel."

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted again.

"For now, see if you can't req me up some dry clothes."

The look that passed over the younger man's face was an admirably schooled mix of bitterness and insult, before he nodded and snapped around on his heel, striding off.

"_Del_…" Nancy murmured. Shepard glanced at her sternly, but had no time to speak before Joker's voice was piping in again.

"_Commander, we have an incoming transmission from Admiral Hackett, priority code."_

"Put it in down here," she ordered, tossing the towel aside and padding over to the nearest console. Vega inclined his head as she went, eyes fixed on her. Ashley sharply jabbed an elbow into his ribs.

"Ow…_what_?" he grumped, startling and blinking at her.

"She's your commanding officer _and _she's hands-off, LT," she told him.

"I was just…admiring her ink," he said lamely, referring to the portions of tattoo not obscured by the back of her tank. "_Holographic_…I have to get one of those."

"Uh huh," Ashley snorted, stepping past him and heading over to where Shepard was accessing the call.

The console lit up with flashing interference, Hackett's face at first barely visible, before solidifying. _"Shepard, Admiral Hackett. Where's Anderson?"_

"He stayed behind to organize ground-forces and evac," Shepard told him. "He put me in charge of _Normandy_ and ordered us to the Citadel."

"_Good. Before you do, I need you to stop at Mars, at the Prothean ruins at Deseado. There's a team of research scientists there from all over Alliance space. They've been working with Dr. T'Soni on the data archives there, and she thinks they may have found some information that could help our defenses against the Reapers."_

"Liara's on Mars?" Shepard asked, surprised.

"_Affirmative. We need to get her and that team out of there, with that archive data, before we lose control of the system."_

"We'll head there immediately."

"_That data is everything, Shepard. Our fleets are getting hit hard…Earth is under direct attack. We both know we can't win this war conventionally, and those archives may be the only thing that keeps us from total annihilation. Anything else is secondary to retrieving that intel intact."_

"Yes, sir, understood. We're already out of Earth orbit and should be on the ground in minutes."

"_Good luck, Shepard. If anyone can do this, it's you. Hackett out."_

"Joker, course correct for Mars," she ordered, already striding over to the wall lockers. "Ash, Vega, you'll go dirt-side with me. Vega, get that shuttle hot."

As Shepard rummaged in the lockers, Nan came over. Drawing out a skin-suit, Shepard pulled it on, zipping it up. Catching sight of the older woman she looked at her.

"You should head upstairs," she said, then blinked as Nan grasped hold of her, hugging her tightly.

"I lost you once, sweetie," she murmured. "Such terrible things are happening and…just be _careful_ down there, all right? I don't want to bury you twice."

Shepard returned the hug, gripping her tightly in relief that she was all right as well, before she cleared her throat. "I'll do what I can, but you know I can't make any promises."

"I know." Nan loosened her grip, then cleared her throat. "Just be safe. It'll be good to get the chance to see Liara again."

"Yeah," Shepard replied in a low voice. "Yeah, it will."

"_ETA to Deseado, five minutes,"_ Joker warned.

"I gotta get suited up, Nan. Get upstairs and get secure somewhere. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, baby," Nan told her. "Do some good."

* * *

"That storm looks nasty," Ashley warned, looking at the consoles over Vega's shoulder as he piloted the shuttle down toward the aching red landscape.

"Gonna be all over Deseado in an hour or two," he said. "We won't have much time before our communications go to shit."

"Then we'll have to hurry," Shepard ordered.

"Ma'am, scans are showing we have a couple shuttles on the ground outside the main airlocks…looks like a couple of MAKOS too, still hot. Haven't been groundside long."

"The Alliance sent more shuttles?" Ash blinked

"I doubt it," Shepard told her, eyes narrow. Her gut was sending out all sorts of warning signals, and she had learned to listen to it without question." All right, locked and loaded as we hit the dirt. Assume hostiles until we figure out differently."

She secured her helmet, then checked over the sniper she'd liberated from the slim ship's armory as the shuttle lowered and then bumped to a standstill. Nodding at Ash, she hit the door release.

The side of the shuttle swung open, wind and dust immediately sweeping on the women as they jumped out, weapons-ready.

Deseado was a crater, ringed by red cliffs softened at the edges by centuries of almost constant wind and dust-storms. The far side would soon be obscured by yet another such storm, a great wall of billowing sand taller than most mountains on Earth looming ominous on the horizon.

Before Shepard was born, after the small colony of Lowell City had been established, Deseado had been considered something of a 'martian Bermuda triangle'; an area of odd electromagnetic activity where transports and ships would lose comm signals and navigation. Then, the reason was discovered…underground Prothean ruins that contained ancient technology and even ships, their degrading eezo containment the source of the radiative disruptions. What mankind discovered in these ruins was enough to change the face of Earth forever, propelling their progress two hundred years almost overnight. New starship technology lead to the discovery of the Sol relay, which inevitably lead to encountering the turians and the First Contact War.

This was, quite literally, the place where it had all begun.

It had been determined that Deseado had been some kind of Prothean observation post or outpost bunker, a vantage where they could observe or perhaps even research and influence ancient man without letting their presence be known.

The Alliance built crater station that joined to the ruins and formed a habitation and research hub spread throughout the crater, a metal lid with branching arms that threaded both above and into the cliff-sides. Over thirty years, and still Deseado had not yielded up all its secrets.

They had put down behind cover, and had to work their way carefully down to the access road. Mars had never been terraformed and so gravity and atmosphere were both still a challenge, as were the high winds…just the leading edge of the fury about to descend. They picked their way carefully downhill, but reached the road without incident. Spotting the hint of vehicles in the distance, Shepard gestured at Ash and Vega to stay down, and carefully set her sniper.

Focusing the scope, she peered through, seeking out the metal she had seen, before her jaw tensed.

"I have a MAKO-class vehicle," she reported. "Six men in armor…colors indicate Cerberus."

"_Cerberus_?" Ash growled.

"Looks like they've intercepted a security patrol. I've got four bodies on the ground, hands behind their helmets…they were executed. We've got some cover to get closer."

She lowered her sniper and as she eased out along the road, the trio making sure to keep the formations of rock and sand between them and their targets. A dozen yards closer, and Shepard gestured for full cover again, once more setting her sniper.

Two of the six dropped before anyone realized what was going on. By the time heavy gunfire rang out, only three were still standing, rushing for cover as they realized they were under attack.

As the last one fell under Ashley's rifle, Shepard moved over to the security detail laying limp on the ground. Each had their hands loosely laced behind their necks, a hole made by a single high-caliber shot in the back of each helmet.

As she checked them over, Ashley looked at Vega, then back at Del. "What the hell is Cerberus doing here?" she asked.

"Good question," Shepard replied, looking at the MAKO with a scowl. The black and yellow insignia blazoned on its side was a harsh reminder of her fight against the Collectors.

"You mean you don't know?"

Straightening to her feet, Shepard scowled behind her face-plate. "No, I _don't_ fucking know, Ash…I'm not a goddamn psychic. Do _you_ know why they're here?"

"No, I just figured-"

"I _know _what you figured," Del spat. "I don't know how many times I have to _tell_ you this, but I'm not one of them, Ash. I was _never_ one of them. I used their resources to stop the Collectors, and that's _all_."

Ash glared right back, her shoulders visibly stiff even with her hard-suit on. "Aye, ma'am," she said neutrally.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Shepard growled under her breath, knowing full well that her friend still wasn't buying it.

_What the fuck do I have to do? Slit my own throat before she thinks I'm serious?_

"There are more vehicles that way, near the garage airlock," Vega interrupted, having retreated a little around the MAKO to scout their surroundings. "Not many…two or three, but I can see movement."

Shepard strode to his side, checking through her scope again. "I see four more warm souls that need to visit the Devil," she stated, then shook her head. "This isn't a full-on assault…they haven't got nearly enough fire or manpower to take Deseado by brute force."

"Someone on the inside helping them, maybe?" Ash asked.

"Must be. All right, these guys don't look any brighter than these assholes we just dropped. Let's head in and clean up, then we can hit that airlock."

Spreading out, the trio flanked the vehicles and their armed guards and quickly dropped them. This time, Cerberus didn't get a single shot off before the last one hit the dirt. Sweeping past, they accessed the garage, thick silence replacing the howling wind as the big doors closed. Within, there was only the massive lift, designed to ferry the patrol vehicles and any large supply shipments from the surface down into the actual base. Shepard activated it, and as it began to sink with a rumbling shudder, the shaft began to pressurize.

"All right, Shepard, I need an answer," Ashley demanded as she hauled her helmet off, her dark eyes nearly as brooding and dangerous as Del's were known to get. "If you know _anything_ about what Cerberus is doing here-"

"You watch your _goddamn tongue_, Ash!" Del growled. "I'm not _with_ Cerberus, I've _**never**_ _been __**with**__ Cerberus_, and if I had my way, I'd stick a goddamn rocket drone up the Illusive Man's ass and fire him into the _goddamn sun_!"

"What am I _supposed_ to think, Shepard?" Ash replied. "What am I supposed to make out of all this?"

"You're supposed to _trust me_! I'm your goddamn _friend_!"

"_Are _you?"

"Fuck you, Ashley! You think I'm a traitor? You still think I betrayed the Alliance and everything I stand for? Even after the hearing, after I surrendered the _Normandy_ to the Alliance? Nothing before that mattered, is that it? After the shit we went through together I thought you knew me better than that!"

"That's the _problem_, Shepard! You said yourself that Cerberus rebuilt you, brought you back to life somehow. How do I know that's even really _you_? I practically worshipped you, you know…and now I don't even know if I'm talking to the _real_ Del Shepard or just a clever copy!"

"Sure, Ash. Maybe they fooled you. Maybe they fooled Anderson and Hackett and Nan and Garrus with this clever fucking _copy_-…hell, maybe they even fooled _me!_ Maybe you're right and I only _think_ that I'm me…say all that's true. You're still forgetting one _very_ important detail."

"What?"

"They would have had to fool _Liara_ too! You think for even a _split second_ if this _wasn't_ me, she wouldn't know about it the _instant _she touched me?"

Ashley actually looked baffled a moment, before she shook her head. "I don't…I don't know, Shepard. Maybe it _is_ you but they could have…I don't know, _done_ something with your head. Brainwashed you. Maybe you're reporting to Cerberus and you don't even know it."

"Uh…" Vega cleared his throat nervously, then shook his head when the two women looked at him. "I don't think that's possible. We had her under constant surveillance since she came back to Earth. No way she's had any kind of contact with Cerberus."

"Look, I'm _done_ arguing about this and I'm done _defending_ myself to you," Shepard told Ash, her eyes moving back to her former Chief. "There's no way I can prove anything to you and I don't even want to _try_ any more. Nothing I say is going to change your mind, Williams, and that's fine. You think what you _want_ to think, but I expect you to _do your job_ and _follow orders_. If you end up compromising this mission in _any way_, I swear to _fuck_ I will put a bullet in you, am I clear?"

"Crystal…_ma'am_," Ash replied, her voice ice.

The lift settled into the main bay and Shepard pointed. "Good. Now, let's secure this room and get this _done_."

* * *

_By the Goddess, how did Shepard do this for so long?_ Liara thought as she scrambled awkwardly through the duct, trying to move as quickly as she could in a space barely big enough for her to sit up in. Two minutes into the vents and she already hated them…she could not see living in such a place for years, as the human commander had been forced to.

Then, she _had_ been a child, and far smaller. Also, it was unlikely she was being chased by armored goons shooting at her.

Levering around a corner, she let out an involuntary squeal as the bang of gunfire punctuated a spark flashing off the metal just over her head. The Cerberus troops were struggling more than she was…larger and heavier in their reinforced suits, maneuvering was incredibly difficult. Still, they were managing to both keep her in sight, and to fire an occasional spate her way.

Moving even faster, she felt the heat of another shot skip just past her cheek, whining off the duct in front of her. She took another corner, spotting a vent with a rush of relief.

A flare of biotics, and the grate sailed free. Not slowing, she shoved herself out and into the air, using her biotics to cushion her landing on the garage floor. Instantly she turned, sending a singularity spinning toward the men emerging after her and lifting them helplessly.

_There, that's more like it_, she thought, drawing her pistol and firing.

The armored bodies slammed to the ground, groaning weakly. She stepped forward and fired again, silencing the groans, before a sound made her whip around, her pistol snapping up to shoulder level, her expression pure determination.

Then it faltered, her hand trembling before her weapon dropped to her side.

They were _not_ Cerberus, their armor clearly Earth Alliance. Two females and a male, striding toward her. The male lifted his rifle in uncertainty, only to immediately have it slapped down to point at the floor.

"Easy, LT, she's with us," came that familiar voice, as the woman hauled off her helmet.

Liara knew it was her, before the first word ever passed her lips. Even helmeted and in full armor (armor without the tell-tale N7 designation upon it to give it away, no less), she _knew_ it was her, without a doubt. There was a way of motion about her, a confidence of stride, a power and grace that none other could mimic. More, there was a feel about Delilah Shepard that was all her own…a static energy that drew others to her, made her the leader that she was.

However the woman might be disguised, Liara would never be fooled.

"Del," she whispered, relief sapping the strength from her knees as she stepped forward, pistol dropping from her hand. Shepard threw her arms around her, hugging her almost crushingly tight.

"Hey, Sky Blue," she murmured thickly.

"Thank the Goddess…_thank the Goddess_," Liara breathed. "When I heard about Earth…"

Grasping hold of the human woman's face, she kissed her with almost bruising force.

* * *

When Shepard slapped Vega's rifle down he frowned, straightening a little with a nod. If she said the asari was an ally, then she was an ally.

As the two women embraced, however, he blinked and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, _hey_…oh, I get it now," he said with a half smirk at Ashley. "_Hands-off."_

She gave him a dry look, then cleared her throat at the inevitable lip-lock. Vega's second brow joined his first at the sight of it, and he grinned. Ashley slapped him in the chest with a glower and he blinked.

"What?"

"Much as I _hate _to interrupt…" she ventured, lifting her voice toward the pair even as she continued to scowl at Vega. Liara drew back a little, blinking at her and Vega, before nodding a little.

"I am sorry, I just…we just got the news about the attack on Earth before…before everything went to chaos."

"Tell us what happened, Tianlán," Del urged. "What are they after?"

"I was down in the research lab when the news came that the Reapers had hit Earth," Liara said, stooping and picking up her pistol again. "People were confused, upset, unsure of what to do…and then the guns started. Armored troops came out of nowhere…we did not even know it was Cerberus at first."

She shipped her weapon as she looked at the two dead men she had killed not minutes before. "I believe they are here after some of the data I found in the archives, something that might help us gain an edge against the Reaper fleets."

"What is this data?"

Liara looked at Del, a small smile on her face. "I believe it is plans, blueprints for a weapon," she said. "The Protheans began to develop it but they ran out of time. I have not been able to process all of the information I recovered, but it does seem to describe a directed force of immense power that they hoped would turn the tide against the Reaper fleets."

Shepard stared at her. "You're kidding me!"

"I am completely serious," Liara affirmed.

"Something big enough to punch a hole through those bastards?" Ashley nodded. "Yeah, I can see why Cerberus would want to get their hands on it."

"We're _not_ going to let that happen," Shepard said sternly. "Liara, we need to retrieve that data."

"We shall have to go to the archives themselves," the asari responded. "The entrance is on the other side of the complex, we shall have to take the tramway to get there. It is not far, but Cerberus is crawling all over this base."

"Understood. What's the best way out of here?"

"There, the second floor catwalk. That is the fastest way to the tramline," Liara pointed upward, indicating a door just off the walkway. Shepard nodded.

"Ash, clear the second floor. James, I want you to go back to the shuttle, circle around to the archives. I need you covering the exits in case we don't stop Cerberus in time. They can't leave Mars with that data, and we can't leave _without_ it."

He bobbed his head, turning and jogging back to the lift as Ash headed up to the second floor catwalk. Shepard started to step toward the dead troops, intent on salvaging some thermal clips, when Liara caught her arm, drawing her brown gaze back to blue.

The asari's brows knit as she looked into the human's eyes. She could see shadows there, more than usual.

"Del, what has happened?"

Shepard looked away for a moment, her jaw clenching. Returning her gaze to the asari she raised a hand and gently stroked her fingertips along Liara's crest, smiling at the faint, contented hum the gesture drew from the asari.

"Later. I promise."

Lifting her own hand Liara cupped Shepard's cheek before leaning in to briefly kiss her.

"Later," she conceded, knowing this was hardly the best time or place for a personal discussion…but also knowing that Del would try and dodge the subject, even _after _they were somewhere more appropriate. "I shall hold you to that."

Del only nodded, touching Liara's cheek briefly again, before returning to her task, and gathering her helmet. Fastening it on, she gave the thumbs up to Ash as the woman signaled the all clear.

"All right, let's get moving."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

So, I spent this weekend finally getting my version of Del from ME2 to ME3. For those interested, I wrote down her face-code. Anyone who wishes to is free to use it.

It's not perfect, of course. ME3's face editor is very good but no matter how much I tweak it is, of course, impossible to get her to match the way I picture her exactly. That, and of course, I can't add the neck scar, the silver streak in her hair, wrist tattoo, etc.

They didn't have quite her exact hair-cut, either. I do have to say, though, that the irritated expressions she gives, especially during renegade conversation choices, are pretty much spot on **grin**

Del in-story is, of course, a soldier. I ran my Del through as an Infiltrator. You are free to make her whatever class you wish.

So, this is what Del looks like when I play her. The code should work on both PC and XBox versions of ME3:

733J1V . 717 . F11 . 91W . 1F6 . 3EM . 83F . U16 . 197 . 636 . 172

Please let me know what you think!

Just a heads up, I have a full day training meeting in a different city again tomorrow, so there will be no chapter forthcoming. My apologies.

Next chapter will be up on Wednesday. Cheers!

* * *

"All right, I want all these civvies on these trucks here," Anderson ordered the mixed group of soldiers and policemen that gathered around. Drawn faces, haggard with dirt and dust, sweat and desperation, regarded him from the clustered circle. "Half need to go along route A, half along route B. I'll send the eastside group on route C. We can't risk clustering in too tight or it'll just make us an easier target. Franklin!"

"Sir?" a private saluted.

"Vancouver Providence was hit but we've got twelve doctors that were able to evac, with a handful of wounded. I need those doctors split between A and B. They are considered high-priority…we're going to need all the medics we can get our hands on in the days to come."

"Understood, sir."

"We need to get moving, this lull isn't going to last long. Gentlemen, our fall-back position is Old Fort Lewis. Since it closed down it is no longer a priority military target but will have some fortification. We can regroup there and plan our next move. If we lose communication, if you get separated from your group, if _anything at all_ happens, get your ass to Old Fort Lewis any way you can. Any questions?"

"Sir, I have a number of civilians who want weapons," one of the cops told him. "They're able bodied enough and want to fight. Permission to arm them?"

"Permission granted. Anyone willing and able to carry a gun and not shoot his own goddamn foot off, arm them."

"Sir, we've got another group of Reaper husks coming up seventh street-"

"All right, Private Cox! Get your boys together! I want that perimeter tightened up, focus on seventh. Ibach, Okuno, protect the trucks and the civvies at all costs. Let's get them loaded and get moving before things get hotter! Move out!"

He drew his own rifle as the group broke up, eyes turning upward. From this vantage he could see only one of the larger Reapers, moving over the distant downtown. Each leg was the height of a building, the beast swinging its scythe of crimson fire with implacable carelessness.

_Who would have thought that you'd live to see the end of days, old man_, he thought, then shook his head sharply, striding toward the blockade facing seventh. _No. You can't lose hope. If you do, then how can you expect these people to cling to it?_

As he neared the make-shift wall built of k-rails, broken concrete, and what iron beams could be shifted, he noticed one gray-dusted figure standing in the middle of the street, looking upward as well.

It was a civvie, if his clothes were any indication. A stained t-shirt, beaten jeans, dirty work-boots. Under dust and sweat his hair was either black or dark brown, a rough day's growth stubbling his chin and cheeks.

"_You_, son," he called, striding up to his side. Solemn blue eyes shifted, blinking as they focused on the Admiral. "What's your name?"

"David," the younger man replied. "David Tepper."

"You know how to shoot, Tepper?" he asked, drawing a pistol from his belt.

"No…"

Anderson showed him the gun, displaying its side. "Safety is here," he indicated. "Draw the slide back like this to release the thermal clip and slide in a new one. Trigger, sight. Hold it like this, point it like you're pointing your index finger. Both hands to hold it steady, it doesn't kick much but it will twitch upward so be cautious of that. Think you can handle it?"

"I can try," Tepper replied.

"Good lad," Anderson smiled, passing him the pistol. Hearing the moans and shrieks of the husks drawing closer, tense shouts lifting from the barricade, he nodded. "C'mon, son. We need to push them back until these trucks are ready to go."

Wordlessly, Tepper followed the old soldier to the blockade, taking cover behind one of the k-rails. As the first of the husks swept into view, followed quite closely by the twisted batarian beasts, the first volley lit up the smoky air like thunder. Out of the corner of his eye, Anderson saw Tepper flinch only once, then lean out and take aim. Two shots and the pistol skipped a little high in his hands as it kicked. He tightened his grip, steadying it, and continued to fire.

Raking his own rifle-shot over the front line, Anderson grit his teeth. "_Hold it_!" he ordered those gathered. "Watch those things on the left!"

Four human husks skipped and collapsed with shrieks, gray ash puffing into the air at their demise. One of the batarian things buckled under the salvo and as it fell, another near it suddenly surged upon the fallen corpse, ripping chunks of greasy flesh from its body and consuming them.

"God," someone rasped nearby. "They're fucking _cannibals_?"

"Get it down while it's distracted!" Anderson barked, turning his own rifle fire that direction. Then, a shriek, and something big and dark flashed down from the sky, a ball of fire barreling toward them.

Concrete shattered, the coughing whoop sending bodies flying in all directions. Anderson himself hit the ground on his back as the form sailed past above him…one of those damned dragon-things.

"Protect the trucks!" he bellowed, rolling and surging to his feet, firing after the thing as it closed in on the vehicles.

Weapons-fire ignited the air as those loading the civilians turned to address it. Another blast of flame tore into the asphalt , throwing up shrapnel and shifting one of the smaller trucks sharply to the side. It rocked up a little, then slammed back down, the wounded civvies inside crying out in fear.

"God damn it, _hit it with everything_!" Anderson bellowed.

Lead drummed along the thing's side as it banked, then shredded one of its wings. Off-balance, the bank sharpened, the monstrosity thrashing as it tried to right itself again, before it slammed hard into the ground. Wounded, it was hardly out of commission, powering up for another blast even as it flopped back onto all fours.

Anderson and a half-dozen of the others rushed it, unloading everything they had into its 'head'. Flailing wildly, it gave a strange whine, its motions weakening into a tremble. Even as it died, Tepper ran up and planted a foot on its neck, grimly planting four final shots into the tortured mess.

Anderson glared at the thing before he turned toward the barricade. A pair of biotics had managed to re-shore it, and it looked like the wave had been pushed back. "All right, it won't take them long to regroup," he shouted. "Let's get this movable beast rolling before they hit us again!"

Tepper still stood by the dead dragon, pistol in both hands pointed at the ground, trembling a little. Anderson walked over and gripped his shoulder.

"You all right, son?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think so," Tepper responded. Anderson gave him a nod and a smile of encouragement.

"You got some serious balls, lad," he declared. "What is it that you do?"

Blue eyes blinked at him. "I'm a landscaper," he replied.

"A landscaper?"

"Yeah…you know. Flowers and shit," Tepper gave a weak grin. Anderson snickered tiredly, then slapped his shoulder lightly.

"You missed your real call, son. You should have been in the service."

"Guess I'm in it now, aren't I?" he replied, all trace of any true mirth gone as quickly as it had come. "I guess we all are."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Anderson told him. "Come on. Let's get the rest of these people loaded and get moving."

* * *

Del rolled the chair to the side, the legs of its limp occupant dragging softly across the floor as she did so. Two dead in the security room, and neither seemed to have put up much of a fight. Ignoring the blood tacked over the desk, she accessed the HI interface and the security vids. Standing nearby at another console, Liara was pulling up building schematics as Ashley watched the door.

"Looks like they managed to corrupt some of the recordings on this end, but they did a sloppy job," Del muttered, narrowing her eyes at the archive files. "Cameras are still active in most parts of the complex but there's interference. I'm going to see if I can pull up any live feeds."

"The most direct routes from here to the tramline have been sealed off," Liara added. "It looks like we will have to work our way out onto the roof and cross directly from here to the hub. It should not be a long distance but the increasing winds will make it…interesting."

"You know how I _love_ interesting," Del said with a bitter grump. She glanced up toward the displays as she got a few of the camera feeds working. Two showed empty rooms. One was an outside feed showing the dead Cerberus personnel outside the vehicle airlock they had entered from. The final showed a computer room of some kind. A woman with short, dark hair was there, working frantically at a console.

"There…who's that?" Shepard asked.

"That's Dr. Eva Coré," Liara replied, glancing at the image. "She arrived a week ago. I have not had much opportunity to speak with her."

"At least others are still alive," Del told her. "Can you tell where she is?"

"I _believe_ that is a lab just outside the transportation hub. She-"

The distant, tinny sound of gunfire filtered through the speakers. Coré turned her head as if in reaction to them, then darted off camera.

"They must be closing in on where she is," Del noted, grabbing her helmet and locking it down again. "Let's move. Maybe we can get to her before they do."

"The airlock to the outside is not far," Liara directed, turning toward one of the lockers on the wall. Getting it open, she drew out one of the security hard-suits, quickly suiting up and grabbing a helmet. Spotting a few weapons locked in a rack nearby, Shepard lifted a brow and walked over. Instantly, something caught her eye.

"Well, _hello_ _**beautiful,**_" she crooned, unlocking the rack and drawing the weapon out. "Goddamn I love the Alliance."

"M-98 Widow…_nice_," Ashley approved as Shepard looked over the sniper, gloved fingers caressing.

"Thermal and ultrasonic echo scope," she purred. "Adjustable caliber, double-heat vent and frictionless barrel…full eezo propulsion…I think I am in _love._"

"Must I be jealous of a rifle now?" Liara asked with an amused smirk, drawing a helmet on and locking it down. Shepard gave her a wicked grin and a wink, before unshipping her old sniper and setting it aside. Prepping the Widow with efficient snaps of her hands, she slid it into her weapons pack in place of the old one.

"Let's go find us some _assholes_," she smirked. "I need to test this baby out."

* * *

Wind bayed and wailed, the screeching ululation of damned spirits crying their despair. Sand seethed fury against their pads as they worked their way across the roof top. On the horizon, the great rippling storm-front was dramatically closer, arcing with spits and spears of static lightning.

They stayed as close to the wall as they were able, relying on that buffer as well as their mag-locks to get them across without being torn away by the tempest. As they neared the far building, they could see the massive doors standing ajar.

"This airlock should _not_ be open," Liara reported. Del edged to the flank of the open door, peering within the dark space beyond before scrutinizing the great slabs of steel.

"Doesn't look to have been damaged. Could it be hacked from outside?"

"No, you would have to override ten different redundancies in the security protocols. Mars is unforgiving of any mistakes when it comes to airlocks."

"Then they must have been opened from the inside," Shepard asserted. "Like the vehicle lift."

"Guess that just confirms our suspicions," Ashley nodded. "They had inside help."

"Well, whoever that help is, they will go down just like the rest of them," Shepard determined, drawing her rifle. "Nice and easy, ladies."

Past the airlock, the room was thick with dark. Switching on her scope as they pressed to the walls, Shepard scanned the space with the sniper's infrared and sound recognition. Every tiny detail snapped into brilliant focus, and she slowly panned it around.

"No hostiles," she noted. "No notable sounds on the pick-up. Lot of dead bodies. I think we're good for omni-lights but keep peeled and frosty."

She lowered the weapon as she straightened, Ash and Liara's omni-lights flicking on. The beams passed over limp forms scattered on the floor. Tinged blue, their contorted features and the positions of their bodies indicated they had retained consciousness probably for several seconds after the airlocks were opened, before they finally passed out. Shepard knew from painful experience that it only took about fourteen seconds for someone to faint in a vacuum, which was roughly the amount of time it took for the last of the oxygenated blood in the average human body to circulate from lungs to brain.

In the broad scheme of things, fourteen seconds did not seem as if it were very long, but to one aware they would die, it would seem time without end.

"Someone vented the air from this room on purpose, knowing they were in here," Liara's voice was heavy with sorrow and anger. She had known these people. Even if she had not, the callous cruelty in the action that had taken their life was beyond any feeling sentient. Whoever had done this was a barbarian.

Shepard said nothing as they moved deeper into the room, casting her own omni-light over a set of stairs and then couches on the lower floor. As she descended, a faint sound reached her ears. Gesturing instantly for the other two to take cover, she hissed, "Lights!"

Darkness enveloped them once again as they switched off their omni-lights, taking cover behind the sofas. Moments later, more lights cut through the dark as a pair of forms entered from the far end.

Setting her new sniper out carefully, Del edged the muzzle over the top of the sofa, switching on her scope, adjusting the audio pick-up to pipe directly into her helmet radio. Though it wouldn't actually tap in to their communications, the pick-up was sensitive enough to make out their words through their helmets.

"We've already been over this room once," one of the armored figures complained, passing his light across the floor, illuminating more than one still corpse. "There's no one alive in here, how could there be?"

"Gamma team reported there may be Alliance commandos still on site," the second fellow replied with irritation. "They may come in this way."

"I don't see any commandos, do _you_? The only Alliance on sight were mowed down on the tramline by Echo and Alpha."

"Maybe they sent reinforcements?"

"With Earth under attack? I doubt that," the first one huffed.

"Go check the airlock, just to be sure. I'll stay here."

"Why do you get to-"

"Because I checked the last one! Just move your ass, would you?"

One of the lights broke away and headed up the stairs, soon swallowed into dark. Del scowled a little. _Sloppy_. Fuck, she _hated_ to see sloppy work from soldiers…even soldiers that weren't necessarily on their side. Might make her job easier, but it was just downright insulting to the name.

Gesturing at Ashley, Del fixed her sights on the fellow who had lingered.

The softest pop. He dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Ash worked around to the other side of the sofa. As the first fellow returned a moment later from checking the airlock, she snapped her omni-tool light on.

"_What the_-_?_"

The man jolted, startled by the sudden light in his face. His surprise didn't last, Ashley landing a bullet in the throat of his hard-suit almost the instant he recoiled. He slumped to the ground, letting out a single soft gurgle before falling silent.

Touching Liara's arm, Shepard slipped out from cover, the asari and the LC following as she headed for the door that the pair had entered through. An empty hall, another security check-point door. A quick scope within showed it lit but empty, and they slipped inside, closing and sealing the door. Liara quickly accessed a console to pressurize the room.

"Those Cerberus fellows aren't too bright," Ash noted. "If they're all like that this should be cake."

"Don't bank on it. We got lucky with Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dumber," Del replied, drawing up the security feeds again. "Idiots don't last long in Cerberus, just like they don't last long in the Alliance."

More of the cameras had been shut down or taken off-line. She found she couldn't access any live feed, but there were some cached recordings from before they went out. Drawing up a few of these, she cast them to the displays ringing the desk.

"Well, I guess we know who our inside person is," Ashley said grimly as they watched the feed of this very room. Two security guards, trying to make sense out of the scattered alarms, were gunned down coldly by the very same woman they had spotted on the earlier feed.

Eva Coré.

Liara looked stricken as she took in the footage, pressing one hand lightly to her stomach as if she were going to be ill. "I-I cannot believe it," she whispered. "How…how could I not have _seen_-?"

"You didn't see because you weren't _meant_ to see," Shepard told her. "Besides, you had more important things on your mind than scrutinizing your co-workers, Tianlán. This isn't your fault."

"She was right under my nose, Shepard…I shouldn't have missed it-"

"Hey," Del whispered, lightly gripping her arm. Liara looked at her, then lowered her head with a faint nod.

"Ok, we know who the traitor is now," Del affirmed. "We still need to get to that tram and get to those archives and we haven't got much time left. Liara, how far are we from there now?"

"Not far, just another corridor and a small anteroom."

"Anteroom is probably going to be guarded," Del supposed, then gave Liara's shoulder another reassuring squeeze before stepping around the console. "C'mon. Fuckers ain't gonna shoot themselves."

* * *

It seemed most of Cerberus had cleared past the tramline and into the archives…not a good sign. A lone remaining soldier stood in the anteroom beside a low partition, hand to his helmet as he tried to reach his compatriots…most likely Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dumber.

Del didn't bother with the sniper. Gesturing to the two others to stay put beyond the door, she edged up to the partition, crouching hidden only inches away from the oblivious thug.

Surging up like wrath embodied, Del swung an arm around the man's neck and hauled him backward. Caught completely by surprise and totally off-balance, the soldier flung his arms out wildly, trying to catch himself even as the partition caught him in the back of the knees. He hit the ground on the other side of it hard on his back, barking the wind out of his lungs and dazing him. Pinning him with one knee to his chest and a hand to his shoulder, Del drew her right arm back, fist balled.

Orange death encircled her hand and forearm.

The omni-blade had been in development for over a year when Shepard was arrested, but in the six months between her surrender and her reinstatement on the _Normandy_, they had become standard issue. This one had been in the ship's weapon-locker with a dozen of its counterparts, and she had not hesitated to liberate it for her own use.

A disposable silicon-carbide blade was flash-forged by the special omni-tool's mini-fabricator. The transparent, nearly diamond-hard blade was suspended in a mass effect field safely away from her glove, so that the searing hot blade would cause no damage to its wielder while inflicting the most egregious damage upon its target.

The blade was good for two or three blows, generally, though the harder the substance it had to penetrate the more swiftly it would lose static cohesion. In the time it took her to lift her arm and send it down in a forceful punch, the tool had lit, the blade forged and poised and ready to strike.

Using all her strength, she plunged it into the neck of his hard-suit, tearing through metal, rubber, and reinforced plastic to the flesh beneath. As she ripped the blade back blood welled in a thick dark fountain from the rent she had created. Pinned beneath her, the man gave a weak heave.

Her torso tensed, her muscles steeling as her arm darted in again, striking just as furiously downward as it had before…if not moreso. She let out a growl of pure rage as she tore the blade loose once more, only to repeat the blow.

The man was dead, that much was clear, but Shepard seemed to be unaware of that fact…or else uncaring of it. The blade, cohesion lost, fractured and fell away but still she drew her arm back, another fabricating and whipping into place with a diabolical gleam.

Below her, she didn't see the helmet of the dead Cerberus guard. Instead, a rather cheerful face grinned up at her under a receding hairline and a pair of specs.

"No," that face said happily. "You're not crazy at _all_."

"_Fucker!_" she spat, sending her new blade slamming into that simpering smile.

"_Skipper!"_

She wrenched her arm back, the blow through the man's reinforced face-plate enough to shake the integrity of the blade base, snapping it free. It glimmered like a lance through the mangled metal and reinforced plasti-glass for a few moments, before its dark energy cohesion fell away and it began to dissolve into its constituent atoms. Blinking, panting faintly, Shepard looked up at her companions.

"I…think he's neutral, Skipper," Ashley ventured, her face stoic. Liara was less so, her blue eyes wide behind her helmet. The look in those eyes knotted Del's stomach, and she scowled, getting to her feet as her omni-tool powered down.

"Move," she directed as she stepped over the dead man, the slowly growing puddle of crimson underneath him edging against her boot as she gestured at the final control console. Glancing at Ashley, notably tense, Liara shipped her pistol and then stepped past, accessing the console.

"The tramway is locked down," she said softly a moment later. "It is on a separate network, I can't unlock it from here."

"Maybe we can fool them," Ashley ventured, looking down at the dead man with knit brows. "If we can tap into their communications maybe we can convince them we're Gamma team, and they'll unlock the tramway."

Shepard stood with her back to the dead man, her hands on her hips. At Ash's suggestion, she half turned, looking at her, then at Liara. The asari still looked troubled, but said nothing, only nodded.

"Do it," Del ordered. Ash crouched over the corpse, hauling his broken helmet off.

"Oh, _fuck_…" she groaned. "Shepard, look at this."

Turning, brown eyes inscrutable, Shepard looked over the LC's shoulder at the man's face.

His nose and cheek had been ruined by the blade, of course, and shards of the plasti-glass face-plate had driven into one eye and his cheek, but it was not the wounds that caused Ash's consternation. Coils of tech seemed to emerge from his skull, outlining his forehead, spreading like thin spider webs over his temples and around his eye sockets. The flesh immediately around these glimmering lines was the dark, sour color of an old bruise.

"He almost looks like a husk or…or the start of one," she said. Del crouched, gripping the man's chin and turning his head a little, squinting at the lines.

"No," she murmured. "This is something different. I've never seen circuitry this fine before…he's not a husk but they definitely did _something_ to him."

"Do you see why I'm worried about you?" Ash asked in a low voice. "If they'll do something like this to one of their own men-"

Shepard's eyes were as impenetrable as steel as she looked at the other woman, then straightened. Ash lowered her head a little with a sigh.

_Yeah, probably not wise to go into that again just now_, she thought. Getting to her feet, she scrutinized the helmet comm, noting its frequency. "Looks like they're transmitting on a 30.5 sub-band."

Shepard wordlessly adjusted her own helmet.

"_Report! Who is on the line?"_ a voice demanded almost immediately.

"This is Gamma team," Shepard replied gruffly. "Requesting a tram unlock. We encountered the Alliance team, all hostiles eliminated."

"_It's about time! We need to secure the archives. Tram unlocking, get your asses over here now!"_

"On our way."

She switched off the line with a cold grin. "You heard him ladies. He wants our asses over there now. I suggest we _don't_ disappoint him."

* * *

"You've _really_ never been in love?" Sydney asked, holding the small communications pad she'd been given in her hands as she leaned back on her bunk. The voice on the other side was female but deep…a soothing, rolling alto colored with an even serenity.

Mordin had given her the comm pad only the day before. It connected to just one person, he said…someone as similarly isolated and lonely as she was. He figured that they could at least _speak_ to each other, gain strength in knowing they were not alone in their rather _unique_ situations. Her new chat-mate was, of course, not indoctrinated…but that didn't make her burdens any lighter, nor her despair.

"It has never been…_feasible_," came the answer. "I suppose it is simpler in that respect for the males. They have the option to go off-world, to find those not of our kind. They at least have the chance to give their hearts to asari, if nothing else. We do not have such a luxury."

"But wouldn't asari be an option for you too?" Sydney asked. "I mean…maybe not you _specifically_, but-"

"But _other_ sterile females, like myself," came the understanding response. "Technically it would be possible, but ours is a far different calling. Those of us that are sterile find meaning in sacrifice to keep the fertile females safe. Or, we find solace in leading as the spiritual voices of our people. I chose my path a long time ago, after I had my first stillborn. I knew the road I had to walk. Love has nothing to do with it."

"That's so sad," Syndey mumbled, her knees drawn up as she balanced the pad on them.

"Perhaps, but we all have our sacrifices," her companion resigned. "However _you_ have love…it is clear in your voice. You have a loneliness only one who has loved and lost feels."

"I…wouldn't say that I've _lost_ it…" the blonde said, reticent.

"No, but you are here, because of what has happened to you outside of your control…and they are _not_."

"She's trying to find a way to help me," Sydney admitted. "I don't think she can, but she's trying. It helps her to look."

"Helplessness is a coat that never fits comfortably. She is human as well?"

"Asari," Sydney told her.

"Ah. And this one that you attacked against your will. She at one time had your heart too, did she not?"

"Del? No…well, no, not _really_," Sydney told her. "I do love her, like a sister and a friend. At one time, I thought it was more than that but-no, we are just friends."

"To use the word 'just' diminishes a thing," her companion noted. "I do not believe in 'friends', and most especially not in 'just' friends."

"I'm not following."

"There is only family, Sydney, and those outside of it. If you trust and accept someone, they are within your family, whether or not they share your blood or flesh or ancestry. She is your family, your krant, made by appointment rather than birth, but truthful all the same. 'Just' is a deceitful and belittling word. Do not diminish yourself or your krant by its use."

Sydney smiled a little, then bobbed her head. "I won't," she promised. "Are you…do you have family?"

There was silence a long moment. So long a moment, in fact, that Sydney was afraid she would get no response, that she had crossed the boundaries of propriety in her asking. Then, the other spoke.

"I do," came the answer. "I have…sisters, here with me. The salarians try to help us but some things are beyond anyone's best efforts. Soon, I fear, I shall be the only one left."

Lowering her head, the human woman closed her eyes. "I am so sorry," she said softly.

"It is as it is willed."

"Whoever willed things like this is cold, and cruel," Sydney whispered.

"Coldness strengthens our bones and helps us to seek the warmth. Cruelty gives us strength to not inflict such on others."

Sydney gave a tired smirk. "Is everything you say philosophical?"

A pause, then an amused, "I am a shaman. It is my job."

The human woman giggled, shaking her head. "I see. I'm glad that Mordin gave us a way to talk. I feel a bit better."

"As do I. Perhaps… I will not lose _all _my sisters after all. I will hope for you, Sydney Rasler."

"I will hope for you too, Eve," Sydney replied softly. "I'll hope for you, too."


	7. Chapter 7

"Here, these are the archives," Liara stated, stepping over the body of one of the Cerberus guards as she accessed the door lock controls. With a faint hiss, the aperture slid open.

An immense room stood beyond them, gouged out of the thick rock and dirt of the Deseado crater. A wide walkway extended before them to a central platform, branches moving left and right to completely circumnavigate the cavern along the uneven walls. Below the walkways, an abyss seemed to descend forever, distant ramps, stairs, lifts and platforms spiraling down into its deepest reaches.

Lining the walls at regular intervals were strange pillars threaded with beryl-colored light. The largest of these pillars rose directly in the center, spearing the wide platform before them. Banks of computer equipment and holographic interfaces clustered against the railing that ringed it.

Despite the opposition they had encountered all throughout the base, the archives appeared completely empty of anyone save them. Stepping just within, Shepard panned the sniper scope over the entire area, and saw nothing.

"Ash, do a circuit," she ordered. "Li, with me."

As the LC headed to the right, Del and Liara moved across the walkway directly before them, reaching the computer banks without incident. The asari immediately accessed the interface as Shepard replaced her sniper with her small assault rifle, letting her eyes trail over the room and the monolithic center-piece.

"It will take only a moment to get into the proper files," Liara said as she worked.

"Shepard."

Snapping around, Del's rifle lifted almost in concert with Liara's pistol, both weapons aiming toward the man standing calmly nearby.

No, not man. _Holograph_. Narrowing her eyes, Del reluctantly eased her finger off the trigger. Had he been flesh and blood, he would have already been dead.

"Illusive Man," the snarl came not from Shepard, but from Liara as the woman grudgingly lowered her own weapon.

"Dr. T'Soni," he greeted neutrally.

"Bad news," Del's voice was all but dripping with acid. "You're going to have to find about fifty new employees."

"Yes, you _do_ make it a habit to cost me time and resources," he told her, before glancing around. "Quite impressive, isn't it? The Protheans left all of this for us to find, to _use_. Thirty years the Alliance has known about these Archives, and what have they done with it? All but nothing. Trillions of terabytes of information and it sits here, dusty and squandered…much as _you_ squandered the Collector base."

"You kidnapped _Nan_, you son of a bitch," Del spat. "Must have broken your heart to learn the Alliance managed to get her out before you could punish her for what I did."

"A minor setback," he said. "You make the mistake of thinking she's safe from me, Shepard. However, that is neither here nor there at the moment. I am more than willing to let bygones be bygones. I am giving you a single chance."

"Ooh, how _magnanimous_ of you. Please, rain your enlightenment upon me."

"I'll ignore your sarcasm for now. Shepard, the Reapers are at Earth. Time to let petty arguments fall by the wayside. The data in these Archives will turn the tide, serve not only victory and domination over the Reapers but secure human superiority throughout the galaxy."

"_Domination_?" Shepard was incredulous. Liara scowled, turning back toward the console and returning to work. "You want to dominate the Reapers?"

"I do. With a force like the Reapers under our control, there will be none who can stand against us."

"You _are_ fucking insane!" Shepard gaped. "Ni shi bai chi! You can't control the Reapers!"

"_I _believe I _can_," he told her. "You _had_ a purpose and you served it more or less admirably, even if you did cost humanity the advantage of that base at the galactic core. However your short-comings are what will cripple you in the end. You always were incredibly short-sighted, pointlessly idealistic. Let me be perfectly clear. I will not allow you to interfere, Shepard. This is your only warning. Contend with me in this, and there will be no quarter."

Though she could not hit him, Del's hand fisted at her side. "Then let me be _just_ as clear," she replied. "I _intend_ to contend with you. In fact, I'm going to be _extremely_ contentious and _unimaginably_ naughty. One day, _very soon_, you are going to hear a knock at the door, and just guess who it's gonna be? If I were _you_, I'd go and find a very deep, very _dark_ hole to crawl into and hide, and pray to _fuck_ I don't find you, because when I _do_…what I'm going to do to you is going to make you _beg_ for something as kind as _pain_. Cao ni ma, tzau ni Daye, and wo cao ni ye ye de sao pi yan! Qu di yu!"

"Have it your way, Shepard," he said calmly.

"_Del_!" Liara gasped suddenly behind her. As Shepard turned away from him, the Illusive Man smiled slightly, before his form disintegrated in shining waterfalls of light.

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

"I have reached the proper files but they are being erased!" the asari said, fingers flying over the console. "Someone is downloading and wiping the copy as we speak! It is local…they have to be _here_."

Shepard slapped her radio even as she turned from the consoles, breaking into a jog as she headed across the ramp. "Williams! We've got a hostile on site accessing the archive files!"

A rifle shot suddenly cracked through the room, before Ash's breathless, pained voice replied. _{I just found her! Got a fuck of a flutter kick…its Coré, she's rabbiting!}_

That same instant, a form darted in from the side, pelting along the catwalk and toward the exit. Shepard sent a shot or two her way, then picked up speed with a curse as the woman bolted through the door and out of sight. "_Shit_! Bitch is _fast_!"

_{I winged her in the thigh,}_ Ashley puffed as she came around the corner, only a few feet behind Del as the commander charged after the fleeing doctor. _{She's probably high on adrenaline, should stumble pretty quick!}_

They raced down the corridor, Shepard barely able to keep the woman in sight as they slammed down one hall, then another. As she ran into the tramline control room it was clear her prey was _not_ slowing down. She was across the room and through the roofline airlock in a heartbeat. Reaching up with one hand, Shepard locked down her helmet, not daring to slow even slightly.

"She's through the lock and to the roof! Are you _sure_ you winged her? "

_{Positive!}_

"Fuck," Shepard fumed, the powerful storm-driven winds buffeting her madly as she reached the outside. In the distance, she could see Coré mounting a ladder toward one of the landing pads, a distant Cerberus shuttle closing in.

"_She's getting away!"_ she cried and picked up speed. The physical force of the wind shoved her with every stride, threatening to topple her balance or worse…send her careening off the roof altogether, but she dared not slow. Hitting the ladder she hauled herself up, leaping onto the landing pad and hauling her pistol out.

She could see her shot spark on the metal at Coré's feet as the woman made the final sprint toward the hovering shuttle, its door wide to receive her.

"Vega!" Shepard hollered desperately. If they lost the bitch they lost the data…and likely, Earth and everything else right along with it. "_Normandy_! _**Anybody**_! I have a Cerberus shuttle at the north-side launch pad! _**I need interference**_!"

Static greeted her even as Coré leapt into the shuttle, the vehicle starting upward as the doors began to close.

Stretching every ounce of speed she could out of her legs, she knew she had no chance to even _hope_ to catch or stop that shuttle. She fired desperately, praying a lucky shot would disable it.

Then, a streak of blue darted out of the roiling clouds of orange and red dust. Breaking through the interference, she heard Vega whoop.

_{…zzz….'m on this!}_

Shepard skidded to a halt as the two shuttles collided hard. The screeching torment of steel was louder than even the bellowing wind, and she gaped as both vehicles tumbled toward her.

Turning, she bolted the other way, spotting both Ash and Liara, who had followed up the ladder. She saw the LC tackle the asari, knocking her aside just as a hammer seemed to slam to the ground just behind Shepard's heels. Her boots left metal and she was tumbling wildly over the roof, the storm flicking her as gleefully as a child might flick an ant off their hand.

Thankfully, she came up hard against the three foot tall concrete lip that ringed the edges of the pad, crashing to a bone-jarring halt rather than finding herself in free-fall. Coughing, she hauled herself back up to her feet, staring at the flaming shuttle half-smashed into the pad behind her.

Their own shuttle, damaged but still flying, settled down a few feet away. As Shepard jogged forward, Vega emerged, shaking his head sharply and dusting off his pads.

"_Normandy_'_s_ en route," he said as she trotted past him. Even through her suit she could feel the heat of the flames, and lifted an arm instinctively against it.

"_Liara? Ash_?"

"Here," the asari panted, emerging out of the smoke, part of her hard-suit smudged with soot. Shepard grabbed her arm, then her helmet.

"Are you _hurt_?"

"I am fine, just a bit jarred," she reassured, looking toward the burning shuttle. "We need that data!"

"Where's Ash?" Del demanded, stepping past her and toward the wreck. Before the asari could answer, she spotted the LC scrutinizing the wreck.

"Here, Shepard," Ashley replied, glancing around at her. "I think I see movement-"

A form rushed out of the roiling fire, trailing flame and smoke like wings. Ash lifted her weapon only to have it backhanded out of her hand, the rifle spinning along the roof. Shepard's pistol snapped up as a hand clamped to the front of William's helmet, lifting her effortlessly off her feet.

It was Coré, the remnants of her clothing peeling off of her in blackened, ruined strips. No scorched flesh, no horrible wounds were evident…instead, the woman gleamed with metal and silicone, all trace of flesh and humanity replaced by flickering tech.

Coré wasn't human at all, but rather a synthetic, an almost perfect AI mock-up of a flesh-and-blood woman, a sophisticated piece of hardware the likes of which Shepard had never before seen…not even in the geth, and they were pretty fucking _sophisticated_.

"Put. Her. _Down_," she growled, pistol fixed on the faux-woman as Williams gripped the iron wrist holding her in place, struggling to free herself.

Coré's eyes, unfeeling and deprived of all morality, shifted to her only a moment, before she abruptly turned, hauling Ash around and slamming her with devastating force into the hull of the shuttle.

Shepard could hear the woman's hard-suit crack as it collided with the bulkhead, heard her single cry of pain. Tugging her aim down she snapped off two, three, four shots at the legs of the thing, the only place she could fire without risk of hurting Ash.

Hand whipping back, the synthetic hauled Ash away from the hull and then slammed her into it again. This time there was no cry of pain, the woman hanging limp. Even as she impacted, Coré dropped her and turned, lowering her head as she surged forward, sprinting toward Shepard with deadly intent.

The pistol barked again and again, Del holding her ground as she let off shot after shot. She heard the bark of Vega's shotgun the same moment that Coré leapt, Del bracing herself…and then twisting aside. The synthetic's shoulder hit her hip, enough to stagger her, but missed catching hold. As it crashed to the roof it was instantly enveloped in biotics, lifted a foot and then slammed down. Shepard strode forward, planting her boot on the back of its shoulders and overheating her clip as she unloaded into its spine.

Whatever alloy it was formed from was remarkably resilient and kinetically absorbent, most of the shots simply bouncing off, their momentum almost instantly lost as it they impacted. One or two penetrated, however, and with a sudden flash of sparks, Coré went limp.

Backing off a step, Shepard watched it warily a moment before she turned. Slapping Vega's shoulder she barked, "Get that thing, we're taking it with us!"

She reached Ashley's side a breath before Liara, the LC not having moved, complete dead-weight.

"Ash, _don't do this_ to me," she whispered, lightly gripping her shoulder before she looked up at the stricken asari. "Li, can you suspend her, hold her steady long enough to get her back onto the _Normandy_?"

Drawing back, Liara's hands lit up with blue fire, the aura surrounding Ashley as well, moving her into the air without shifting her body position. It was far safer to transport her this way than for Del simply to physically haul her up…if her spine was injured, such a motion could kill her instantly.

That is, if she wasn't dead already.

They had just reached the shuttle, Vega unconcerned with gentility as he dropped the damaged synthetic in the corner and headed up to the helm. Barely had Shepard and Liara got aboard with Ash then their comms lit up.

_{…zzznnnder, Joker…we…sssssss Reaper signatssssss….orbit!}_

"Vega, get us the _fuck_ out of here!" Del ordered. As the shuttle door swung shut, the vehicle lifting drunkenly from the roof, Liara lowered her unmoving friend to hover just an inch above one of the bench seats. Tearing off her helmet and gloves, Shepard cast them aside and reached through the biotic field, feeling the static tingle of dark energy over her skin.

On her knees, she pressed her palm lightly to Ash's chest, closing her eyes. After a moment of silence, Liara ventured quietly, "Is she…?"

"She's breathing," Shepard told her. "It's shallow but it's there. Joker! Can you hear me?"

_{…mative, Commander-}_

"Send Nan and anyone else we have with _any_ kind of medical training to the infirmary! Ash has been critically injured. Get us out of here the moment we're docked!"

_{Undersssss…d.}_

"You hang on," she urged the unconscious woman firmly. "You _do not die_ without permission on _my_ watch, do you fucking hear me?"

* * *

Nan and one other girl who barely looked old enough to smoke were in the infirmary as they brought Ash in. Liara lowered her to the bio-bed carefully before letting her biotics die. Nan said nothing, only lightly touched Del's arm before switching on the scanners. Though she was a nurse, it had been years since she'd really done any direct medical work, especially on a trauma victim.

The girl with her reached automatically for Ash's helmet, only to be stopped by Nan's hand on her wrist. "No, not yet. Not until we determine there's no spinal damage."

"Do you _have_ medical training?" Del demanded tersely, eyes boring into the younger woman.

"I…some field first aid, and-"

"If you don't know what the fuck you're doing, you keep your _goddamn hands_ off my friend!" Del snarled. The girl paled and stumbled back a pace.

"_Delilah_," Nan said sternly. "Step _out_."

"Come on, Del," Liara added, grasping Shepard's arm and guiding the woman backward. Shepard shook her hand off with a sharp snap of her arm before striding out of the medibay in a storm-cloud of fury, unsnapping the fastens of her chest-plate with angry yanks. She was unsurprised to hear the infirmary door open and close again almost the instant she was past it, but didn't look back at the asari. Hauling the plate off as she stepped into the lift, she dropped it to the side, wrenching a shoulder pad off before slamming it repeatedly into the back wall of the elevator.

The door slid shut and she continued to slam the pad over and over, beating the unfeeling metal furiously. The lift didn't move, however. Slim blue fingers touched the controls and locked it into place, before a slight surge of biotics caught Del's arm and halted her assault, lightly rebounding it before it could impact.

Casting the pad aside, Shepard turned her back on the wall, dropping her shoulders against it before sliding down into a sit, fingers tangling in her sweaty hair.

Liara crouched beside her, resting a hand on her knee. "Del…"

No answer. The human woman didn't even glance up at her. More firmly, Liara repeated herself, taking hold of a wrist and drawing one of her arms down. "_Del_!"

"What?" she snapped in return, smoldering dark eyes fixing on worried blue ones.

"We _have_ to leave the Sol system. We have to get Ash to proper medical attention," she pointed out sternly.

"Joker!" Shepard snapped. "Get us to the _fucking_ Citadel!"

"_We're on our way. Should be there in about an hour, ma'am,"_ came the reply.

Liara let out a breath, then gently reached out and drifted her fingers over Shepard's cheek, lightly brushing free a few strands of black that had stuck to her cheek. "_Talk_ to me," she urged softly.

"My home world is under attack, thousands if not _millions_ of people are dying _right now_," Shepard growled low. "_Everything_ we feared, _everything_ I've been warning them about and it's _happening_! It's happening _right fucking now_ and…I should be _there_, Li. I should be back there _fighting_, goddamnit!"

"Shepard, we _are_ fighting," Liara reminded her gently. "We are fighting for the best chance that humanity…that _any_ of us, have. I am so sorry about Earth. When we saw the vids, the news feeds…that was horrific enough. I cannot imagine how much worse it must be in person. But this is _not your fault_. You have done more than anyone could to prevent this from happening, and I know that you will do everything in your power to stop it from continuing."

Del wiped a hand over her face and glanced moodily to one side. Liara didn't miss the gloss in her eyes, the sheen of tears she refused to let form, let alone fall. "I shouldn't be here," Shepard mumbled laconically. "There was…there was a little girl, back on Earth. Brave little thing, couldn't have been more than six years old. She hid from us…from Anderson and me, when we tried to help her, but she managed to follow us two miles through hell to the waterfront. I saw her get aboard an evac shuttle. She looked _right at me_, Tianlán."

Her eyes shifted to meet Liara's, the dark shadows within having gathered thickly enough to make brown appear black. "She looked right _at_ me, just before the door shut, before the shuttle lifted off. Just before those _fuckers _blew it out of the sky. Somehow, _I'm_ alive and _she's_ dead. How is that fucking _fair…_?"

Lowering her head, Liara closed her eyes, trembling brows knit. She did not resist when Del suddenly shifted up onto her knees, hugging her tightly…she only returned the embrace, burying her face in Shepard's neck.

After a moment, Del felt the warmth of the asari's presence slip through her mind, touching only lightly, sharing the love that she felt, a mental embrace very similar to their physical one. She clung to her spirit within as she clung to the asari's physical form, in desperate need of the comfort and reassurance, the affirmation that they were together.

Even with such a light, shallow touch, Liara could feel the heavy walls deep inside Shepard's mind. Because of the beacon visions and the starkness of the memories they had shared while trying to interpret them, there was truly little to nothing that Shepard ever hid from her. She had done so only once…when she had tried to keep from Liara the knowledge of her encounter with an Ardat-Yakshi. Now, the walls were numerous and thick, an interior fortress that only deepened the asari's concern. Something _else_ had happened, something more personal than simply the attack on Earth, the child's death. _Something _had driven her to feel the need to close herself off, to retreat, even from Liara.

Whatever had happened, whatever she was hiding, it was shaking the woman's very foundations, jarring everything that was Delilah Shepard straight down to her innermost being. It desperately worried the asari, but she didn't pry at the moment. Now was most certainly not the time.

_{Commander? Hackett's on the line. You can take it in the war room.}_ Joker's oblivious voice piped through the lift, drawing the two slightly apart.

Shepard lifted her brows. "We have a war room?"

_{Oh, yeah. Been a few renovations. Just head to where the conference room used to be. I'll tell him you're on your way.}_

Liara got to her feet, drawing Del up to hers before reactivating the lift. As it started to move, she took the human woman's hands, watching as Shepard drew her stoicism and impenetrable shell back down almost visibly. Stepping close, the asari softly kissed the corner of her mouth.

"I am here, Shepard," she affirmed softly.

Del ducked her head, her breath rustling over the asari's cheek a moment. "Thank you, Tianlán…"

She stepped back as the lift doors opened, their hands clinging together a moment before they released. Liara followed the commander as she strode toward what used to be the conference room, removing her second shoulder-pad as she went.

The armory, Mordin's lab, and the conference room had all apparently been gutted, allowing space for a huge communications and monitoring hub . The table with its hovering, holographic image of the _Normandy_ had been moved into a smaller anteroom for private meetings, but the rest was unrecognizable. Stepping across the hub, Shepard entered yet another anteroom ringed with screens and bearing the quantum comm pad. As she approached it, Hackett's holographic form appeared on the pad.

"_Shepard, good to see you in one piece. Dr. T'Soni,"_ he noted with a nod, his steel grey eyes narrowed with stress and weariness…the only place such things were visible in his entire countenance. Shepard was a master at stoicism when she needed to be, but Hackett had always made her look like a complete amateur in the field.

"Admiral Hackett," Liara greeted in return.

"_Were you able to retrieve the data from the Mars Archives?"_ Hackett asked.

"We believe so," Shepard told him. "Cerberus was on site and they had a rather sophisticated synthetic with them. The synthetic was able to retrieve the data and erase the local copy from the archives, but we were able to retrieve the synthetic."

"I believe I can extract the data from its omni-tool, and possibly directly from its interior databanks, with a little luck and EDI's help," Liara added. "It should not be too much trouble."

"_Any thoughts on what this data might offer?"_

"I had not been able to study it in depth before the attack," Liara said. "However my preliminary analysis seemed to indicate that it is an extensive schematic of a super-weapon designed specifically to eliminate the Reapers. There were also records, possibly containing successful strategies, or intel gathered by the Protheans on the Reapers themselves."

"_Which makes those records invaluable if they are,"_ he agreed. _"Even so, if the schematics are for a weapon that has to be our priority. How long will it take you to extract the data?"_

"Not long. I hope to have it extracted by the time we reach the Citadel."

"_Good. Forward me a copy of the data as soon as you have it in hand, and I'll have our own analysts go over it. If they come to the same conclusion as you, then we just might stand a chance at this thing after all. In the mean time, Commander…talk to the Council. See if you can't talk them into getting some reinforcements heading our way. Earth won't last long without their help."_

"Understood, sir."

"_I've pulled some strings, and some shore-leave,"_ he concluded. _"You should be fully crewed and supplied by the time you depart the Citadel. Oh, and Commander…one more thing."_

"Sir?"

"_Under Alliance article 903 your standing in the fleet is now officially reinstated, per Admiral Anderson's directive and with Fleet Master Barrett's approval. Commander, you are given official diplomatic license and discretion to arrange and solidify treaties as needed to secure resources and allies in the war. More,_ _you are hereby granted a field promotion to Captain to reflect your command of the __**Normandy**__ and this diplomatic license."_

Even Liara couldn't read Shepard's expression as the woman absorbed this, then carefully saluted. "Thank you, Admiral. It's…an honor, sir."

"_I know the Council suspended your Spectre status as a show of good faith to the batarians when the Alliance officially put you under in-house detention," he said. "Of course, it is up to them if they choose to reinstate that status or to you, if you choose to accept their offer. For now, consider yourself a 'Spectre' for Earth, at any rate. You have authorization to do whatever it takes to give Earth and the rest of the galaxy a fighting chance in this war. Our prayers and our faith go with you, Captain Shepard. I know you'll serve us proud."_

"Thank you, sir," she replied softly.

"_We'll be waiting for a copy of that data, Captain. Hackett out."_

As the image shifted and faded, Del lowered her head a little. Reaching out, Liara gently rested her hand on her love's shoulder. "Congratulations, _Captain_," she smiled. Del looked at her, reaching up and laying her hand momentarily over the asari's before she nodded.

"See what you and EDI can't get out of that thing," she said softly. "I need to square away my gear and…have a moment to think."

Stepping close, Liara hugged her softly, turning her head a little to lightly kiss the side of her neck. "I love you," she whispered.

"Yeah," Shepard replied in a low voice, hugging her back only a moment before she released her and turned away, leaving the wounded asari to watch her go.

As Del stepped out into the war room, EDI's voice spoke up over the comm, making the official announcement. "Attention all hands. Commander Delilah Shepard stands relieved. Captain Delilah Shepard now in command of _Normandy_. Promotion logged as of 10:43 hours, authorization, Admiral Steven Hackett and Fleet Master Jack Barrett."

Del's head only ducked a little more, the only reaction she gave as she continued on her way to the lift.

* * *

"Yes, this is exactly the information we need, EDI," Liara said, her blue eyes fixing to the shifting image hovering over her omni-tool. On the bench before her lay the synthetic, Eva Coré's soulless and lifeless eyes fixed blankly upward.

Such a marvel of engineering! Even in her bitter anger at Cerberus having created such a thing, at her own failure to recognize it as a spy and a traitor, Liara couldn't help but admire it. She found herself imagining Tali's reaction were the young quarian here to see it.

_She would be 'over the moon', as the humans say_, she thought silently, then with a more troubled spirit, _If Cerberus technology has advanced this far, what __**else **__are they capable of?_

She dared not imagine the answer to that. The Illusive Man had the advanced technology and seemingly unlimited resources to restore and rebuild a dead human being over two years ago. Now this, a synthetic so far advanced that she had successfully and unquestionably passed as a normal human being for Goddess only knew how long.

Turning her mind away from the unit and to the schematics hovering overhead, she faintly pursed her lips. "It will take time to translate most of this information but from what I can glean, I think my initial impressions were in fact correct."

"I agree, Dr. T'Soni," EDI replied. "It appears to be a highly sophisticated super-weapon, complex in design. However if I am translating the core resources correctly, I believe that it can be built within a relatively short amount of time- in a matter of months perhaps."

"Forward a copy to Admiral Hackett to confirm our analysis," Liara said, then began to file through the other records that had been retrieved. "What about these? My thought was they must be intelligence gathered from direct conflict with Reaper forces-"

"It is possible," EDI remarked. "However if they are, it is my belief they are not from _Prothean_ conflicts."

"What do you mean?"

"There are discrepancies the language form of the records, and later entries do not match any known Prothean dialect that we have yet discovered. It is my conclusion that these records were uncovered by the Protheans and only partially translated into their language. It is possible they came across them as we did, and were attempting to understand them."

"Yes…yes, I _see_…" Liara whispered in wonder as she filed through, noting where the familiar Prothean characters changed into something completely foreign. "This is remarkable! Could these be from an even _older _civilization? Is it possible this device was not developed by the Protheans at all, but rather that they did the same as we are now doing…that they found the schematics from a yet earlier cycle and attempted to build the device, only to fail?"

"Perhaps. It is also theoretically possible the design was created by another sentient race, contemporary to the Protheans, and they simply were aiding in its construction."

"All known records seem to indicate the Protheans were the only space-faring species of their cycle. There has never been mention found of any others, and it would have to be a race at least capable of space-flight to create such sophisticated technology."

"It is against the laws of probability for there to be only a single advanced race during any cycle. If the Protheans were the only race capable of space-flight technology, then their cycle was an extreme aberration."

"Yes, perhaps," Liara agreed. "I will continue to try and translate these records, see if I cannot deduce what they contain, or their origins."

"The sections translated into Prothean should be easy enough to read," EDI pointed out. "Simply give them to Shepard."

"Thanks to the beacons, she would be able to read them as easily as if they were written in Galactic," Liara said softly. "However…I am not sure I should trouble her with this. She-…has enough on her mind."

"If it leads to defenses against the Reapers, I believe she will tolerate 'being troubled,'" EDI told her.

"Perhaps," Liara agreed sadly. "At any rate, we shall be docking with the Citadel any minute. There will be time to discuss the nuances with her later. For now, getting these schematics and presenting our plan to the Council is our top priority."

"Understood," EDI replied. As Liara headed out toward the lift, the AI called after her. "Dr. T'Soni…?"

"Yes?" Liara asked, pausing.

"Shepard…will be all right," EDI assured. Liara lowered her head a moment, before she nodded.

"Yes. Thank you EDI."

"You are welcome, Liara."

* * *

Ni shi bai chi = You are an idiot

Cao ni ma= fuck your mother

Tzau ni Daye= fuck your uncle

Wo cao ni ye ye de sao pi yan = fuck your grandfather's piss stinking asshole

Qu di yu = Go to hell!


	8. Chapter 8

_Come away; no more of mirth  
Is here or merry-making sound.  
The house was builded of the earth,  
And shall fall again to ground_

_~Alfred Lord Tennyson._

* * *

The Nest hadn't changed much, if at all. Shepard peeled off the last of her hard-suit with almost unconscious motions. Flickering shadows passed over her face, and for a moment she paused, looking at the large aquarium as if she had never before seen such a thing.

When she'd first come aboard this _Normandy_, then a Cerberus vessel, the tank had been filled with white brides. Miranda had stocked it with the diaphanous Thessian fish knowing Shepard found calm and peace being reminded of the sea. The fish had died, unfortunately, along with Shepard's pet rat, when EDI had been forced to vent the interior atmosphere to rid the vessel of Collector invaders.

With a bitter twist to her mouth she noted it had been restocked…not with white brides, but rather a variety of species that formed shoals of shimmering color through the pale blue. She had not seen much of the _Normandy_ as of yet, but the mark of incomplete renovations were clear. Why spend time and money to stock the goddamn aquarium in the Nest when half the access panels on the boat were missing?

Peeling out of her uniform, she tossed it into the sanitizer and stood in the shower for a long while, the hot water doing its best to unknot the tension clenching her entire body but unable to eliminate it altogether.

Just hours ago she had been in her detention room at Bonneville, looking out onto a pleasant morning and watching a happy, bright, carefree little girl play with her toy.

Now, though not yet noon, she felt as if eternities had passed. The attack, escaping for the harbor, watching the little girl's shuttle destroyed, fighting Cerberus at Mars, the synthetic and Ash being hurt-

_Six hours ago and you were a rankless prisoner. Now you are a Captain, in command of the _Normandy_ again, with diplomatic authority and the entire fucking human race is counting on you to save the fucking world._

She leaned her forehead on the wall of the shower, the water spilling over her back.

"Shepard."

"What is it?" she barked, straightening. When only silence returned, she scowled. "EDI, what _is_ it?"

"Did you need something, Captain?" EDI's voice filled the small bathroom.

"EDI, I'm in the middle of a shower. Unless the ship is on fire there's nothing I need to know right this instant, is there?"

"No," EDI replied, sounding oddly hesitant.

"Then stop bothering me!"

"I…of course, Captain."

As the AI fell silent, Shepard scrubbed hard at her face, then slapped the water off. Grabbing a towel, she dried and dug her freshly cleaned uniform out of the sanitizer. It was the only one she had until they resupplied at the Citadel. She didn't bother snapping her rank insignia back on, since it was now defunct.

Drawing her dog tags out of the tunic she gripped them a moment, her eyes unfocusing as her thoughts turned inward again.

Then, almost physically wrenching herself, she dropped her hold on them and dug up a comb, sweeping her damp hair back with a few efficient strokes before striding out of the Nest and into the lift. "EDI, ETA to Citadel?"

"_We have just passed through the relay, Shepard. We should be docking within five minutes. I have notified Control to have a medical team standing by to retrieve Lieutenant-Commander Williams."_

"Understood, I'll be in the infirmary."

* * *

Nan stood by the bio-bed where Ash lay silently, no longer in her hard-suit. Apparently the scans had shown it was safe to remove it. The girl that Shepard had snarled at earlier was also lingering nearby, and gave the newly promoted Captain a look much like a wary rabbit thinking a fox was approaching. Seeing the expression on her face, Nan turned around, then nodded.

"How is she?" Shepard asked, stepping up to the older woman's side, her brows knitting as she looked down at her friend.

To say Ash looked horrible was an understatement. Her face was a kaleidoscope of bruises surrounding two heavily blackened eyes. Tiny spider-lines of purple even extended down over her lips, which were otherwise pale.

"She suffered severe head trauma, several micro-fractures to her skull," Nancy told her softly. "She has four pinpoint hemorrhages and her brain is swelling. There is nothing I can do for her here, she needs a neurosurgeon as quickly as possible."

"We're docking any minute," Del reassured her. "There'll be a hospital team standing by when we do."

Reaching out, she lightly placed her hand on Ashley's shoulder, before her lips thinned and she drew it back. Her dark eyes shifted upward under knit brows, fixing the younger crewman.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The girl gave a shaky salute, stiffening. "Private Bethany Westmoreland, ma'am," she replied.

"Private Westmoreland," Shepard straightened to her full height, then nodded. "I spoke harshly to you earlier. I would like to apologize."

"I-I understand, ma'am," the girl answered. "It's been a rough day all around, ma'am."

"That it has," Del agreed. She felt Nan touch her back lightly, a reassuring gesture she had always used whenever she thought Shepard had accomplished something suitably difficult.

_{Comm…sorry, __**Captain**__, we are docked and the medical team is boarding,}_ Joker reported. Only moments later a group appeared in the medibay, carrying a hover-stretcher, with Liara on their heels. Nan, Del, and Westmoreland stepped back, giving them room. A quick look at the scans results, and they began carefully switching her over to the stretcher.

"Where are you taking her?" Del asked as Liara moved up to her side, a shaking hand slipping into hers. She gave it what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

"Huerta Memorial," the turian medic told her. "Best care on the Citadel, I assure you…with the best neurosurgery department. She'll be in good hands."

Shepard's eyes followed them as they moved toward the door, her head lowering a little.

"I'll go with them, sweetie," Nan told her. "The Council will want to see you first thing. Come to the hospital as soon as the meeting is finished, if you can."

Del nodded, and Nan stepped around her only to reach up, grasping Liara's cheeks and drawing the asari's head downward. She planted a kiss on her forehead, giving her a smile. "Haven't had a chance to say it yet but…it is _good _to see you again, darling. We'll talk soon."

"It is good to see you too, Nan," Liara smiled. As the group vanished, Nan on their heels, Liara felt Del slump slightly next to her.

Looking over, her instinct was of course to embrace her, reassure her, offer her a few words. However they were not alone, the private still lingering nearby, and there was far too much else they needed to think of right now. She only hoped they'd have some time together soon.

"I have successfully extracted the data," she said instead. "A copy has been sent to Hackett but we will want to present our findings to the Council right away."

Shepard nodded slightly, then released her hand, turning to regard Bethany. "Private, report to Sergeant Haley and help with the resupply."

"Aye, ma'am," the girl replied, saluting again before heading out. The two of them now alone, Shepard paused a moment, looking at Liara. She seemed about to say something before she simply shook her head, and walked toward the door.

"Come on. We'd better get to it."

* * *

Stepping from the airlock and onto the Citadel was like being enveloped in a lie. Everything about Del seemed to draw up and cramp inward, turning to stone and steel around a core of furious nausea.

Earth was under attack, cities and lives torn apart in a ruined chaotic nightmare. The entire galaxy was facing the same fate, doom poised as an unyielding boot over a helpless insect.

Yet here, there seemed little change. People of all races bustled and talked and laughed and worked as if evil simply didn't exist, floating around in their little clouds of self-delusion and heartless ignorance. Shepard wanted to grab every damn one of them and scream in their faces, rip their eyes open and show them the devastation and innocent bloodshed. Make them realize. Make them _care_.

_It'll be here soon enough_, she thought as she walked, Liara a silent blue ghost at her heels. _If they won't take their fingers out of their ears and pay attention, it'll be here too, and there won't be a goddamn soul left to save them._

Through the crowd a man was weaving their direction. As he drew nearer, recognition drew her out of her thoughts, and she lifted her brows.

"Bailey?"

"Captain Shepard, good to see you again," the C-Sec officer greeted, shaking her hand. "Congratulations on the promotion."

"I see word gets around," Del noted dryly. "What are you doing here?"

"Council business," he said. "I've had my own promotion too. Seems C-Sec considers trading street work for being the Council's lap-dog a step _up_. Now instead of making a difference, I get to escort boring pontiffs and stuffed-shirt dignitaries around…uh, no offense."

Shepard waved a hand slightly, shaking her head. "So you're taking us to the Chambers?"

"Actually, I'm here to inform you that the Council is in a meeting. It's going to be a bit before they can see you."

"A meeting?" Shepard griped. "What could possibly be more important than the war? Earth is under attack-"

"So is Palaven," Bailey told her solemnly. Shepard started, eyes widening.

"_What_?"

"News just reached us, not long after the news of the invasion at Earth," he said. Liara pressed her fingers to her lips a moment, turning her worried gaze on Shepard.

"Palaven," she whispered. Del took her shoulder, meeting her eyes a moment before looking back at Bailey.

"We have an old friend there," she explained.

"Sorry to hear that," he offered. "From what I understand it's not quite as bad as it is on Earth, not just yet anyway, so…whatever comfort _that_ is." He shrugged helplessly and shook his head. "No telling how long this meeting will take. I hear you had a crewman taken to Huerta. Might have time to go see what's what there before they're ready for you. A liaison will be waiting for you in Udina's office to take you to the Chambers when its time."

Del rubbed the bridge of her nose, pondering, before she looked at Liara. "We should go wait in Udina's office," she said. "Nan said she needed surgery, so there's no telling how long it'll be before we can even _see_ Ash, and once the Council sends for us we can't afford a delay."

"All right," Liara agreed. "Perhaps I can even speak to the liaison. They might be able to get word into the meeting on the nature of the data we have collected. It may get us in to see them even faster if they know we have something that could help."

Del thanked Bailey, and as they passed through security and headed for the Presidium, Liara reached out and took Shepard's hand again, breathing an inward sigh of relief when the grip was returned.

"I have a small ship in long-term dock here," Liara told her as they walked. "I was able to retrieve most of my equipment from Hagalaz before we scuttled the base. Thanatos was gracious enough to sell me the ship to use as a mobile HQ if I needed it. I parked it here when Hackett contacted me asking me to join the team at the Mars Archives. The vessel itself is not necessary…I can sell it, or donate it to the war effort. However I would like to move the equipment over to the _Normandy_. It would be advantageous to have the Broker's resources immediately on hand."

"You sure you want to stay aboard?" Shepard asked hesitantly. "There's no telling the kind of fire the _Normandy_ is going to see-"

"There is no telling the kind of fire _any_ ship or planet in this galaxy is going to see, Shepard," Liara interrupted firmly. "We were parted when the first _Normandy_ was destroyed. We were parted again when we took the Broker base, and then _again_ when duty compelled you to return to Earth to be incarcerated. I have had my fill of being away from you."

"Li-"

The asari halted, looking seriously at her human companion. "If these are our last days, Shepard, then I _am_ spending them with you, fighting this war at your side in any capacity I can," she declared. "I will not waste them rushing around to find a safety that does not exist. Unless…"

Here, her expression wavered, her lashes dipping as her eyes lowered hesitantly. "Unless your feelings have changed," she ventured softly. "Unless you do not care for me as you once did…"

Shepard's heavy sigh and the look that passed over her face as she raked a hand back through her hair, did little to reassure the asari. She felt her gut quiver a little, a touch of fear that Del would tell her it was true, that she no longer was in love with her, that she wanted her to go.

Del's brown eyes fixed on the ground a moment before she spoke.

"Why didn't you message me when I was in detention?" she asked softly.

"I _did_," Liara insisted gently. "Several times. The Alliance had you under censure once your hearing was concluded. Wilcher was lucky to get the message to you that he did, before they began to block all communications. Everything I sent bounced back through security in moments."

She saw Shepard's jaw flex slightly. After a slight pause, Liara continued. "I wanted to come and see you. Then Hackett asked for my help on Mars. He told me that they were working to get your suspension overturned, that within a matter of months you would be reinstated and-…Del, do you think that I _abandoned_ you?"

"No," Shepard replied with a helpless gesture. "No, I just-…I wouldn't have blamed you if you _had_, I mean...after Aratoht-…_Eír_-"

Liara grasped her face firmly, brows knitting. "Del Shepard, _I love you_," she insisted. "I do not blame you for what happened at Aratoht. I know you had no choice, that you did the best that you could. I know _**you**_. You would cut open your own belly before you would willingly allow any innocent to be harmed. I know that you did _everything_ that was humanly possible to save those people, to save Eír and Shrive. Had you not destroyed that relay, then they would _still_ have died, or been turned into abominations under Reaper control. That is a fate I would wish on no one."

Her thumbs swept over Del's cheeks and she took a step forward, sliding her arms around her shoulders and holding her tight. "I would have been there on Earth with you if I could have been. You are _everything_ to me! Do you not _know_ that?"

After a moment, Shepard's arms wound around her in return, gripping tightly. "I know," Del said in a ragged whisper. "I love you too, Tianlán, I _do_…I just-"

She shook her head, then roughly kissed the asari's cheek, even as she drew back. "We need to get to Udina's office."

"Yes," Liara reluctantly agreed as they started on their way again, once more catching hold of Shepard's hand as they walked. Focus was needed on the task at hand, and delivering the Prothean data to the Council was their top priority.

However much she understood that, she _also_ understood something else. If any of them were to stand a fighting chance, they _needed_ Del Shepard. They needed her stubborn will, her unrelenting drive, her amazing resolve and the loyalty she somehow commanded without effort…and right now, this was _not_ that Del Shepard. She was retreating, shutting down behind walls, struggling not to collapse into hopelessness. If that happened, if somehow…incredible as it seemed…Shepard actually gave up, there would be nothing left to save _any_ of them. Of that Liara had no doubts whatsoever.

* * *

Tevos narrowed her eyes as she regarded the hovering image over Liara's omni-tool. "It seems…remarkably _complex_," she noted.

"Yes, however according to our findings, it should be very feasible to build...so long as we pool our resources."

"You want to dedicate all our resources into building what may or may not actually_ be_ a weapon?" Valern scoffed. "One that may or may not even be able to be completed, and even if it is, might do absolutely _nothing_?"

"If the Protheans had this weapon, then why did they not use it?" Sparatus asked.

"It is our belief they simply ran out of time," Liara told the turian.

"Councilors, Earth is under attack," Del told them. "Palaven is under attack. How long until the Reapers reach Sur'Kesh? Thessia? Kahje, Dekuuna, Tuchanka, or Irune?"

"_Exactly_," Valern replied. "We have our own people to protect, our own borders to secure."

"If we don't work together _none_ of us will survive this," Udina told the salarian hotly.

"So we should just pack up and follow you to _Earth_?" Valern snorted.

"Cruel as it sounds, he is correct," Tevos replied. "The sad truth of the matter is that while the Reapers focus their attentions elsewhere, we have time to regroup and prepare."

"Councilors, I have been telling you this from the beginning," Shepard growled. " I _warned_ you, time and time again, that _this_ is what was going to happen, and it was too inconvenient for you to believe me. 'Shepard, you're just deluded.' 'Shepard, you're just being manipulated.' Well_, guess what_? I was _right,_ and now that death is on our collective doorstep you want to just pitch humanity into the fire while you run to save your own skins? Much as I usually disagree with him, Udina is right. _None of us_ can win this alone. Earth is _burning_. _Palaven_ is burning. When _Thessia_ burns who is going to run to their aid? When _Sur'Kesh_ is under attack, whose fleets will be left to help them?"

"Captain, the sad reality is that we simply cannot spare aid for Earth," Tevos said coolly. "We must preserve as many lives as we can, and we cannot hinge them all on a theoretical blue-print and a 'maybe'. If we are able to secure our _own_ borders, we will consider sending reinforcements to Earth. Until then, there is _nothing_ we can do. I am sorry, Shepard. Our thoughts are with your people. This meeting is adjourned."

Shepard could feel her blunt nails digging in to her palms as she clenched her hands, watching as Tevos and Valern exited the chambers. Liara's hand on the back of her shoulder was barely felt as the asari leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Come, we can do nothing more here. I have contacts in the Illuminated Primacy, the Protectorate, and in the Courts of Dekuuna. I can even get hold of a few of the dalatro-'"

She broke off as she noticed Udina approaching them. Sparatus was still lingering behind, speaking to one of the Council guard and looking subdued and troubled. Udina as well looked somewhat cowed, haggard and deflated.

"Captain, wait," he urged as he drew near, drawing Del's attention. Unconsciously echoing Liara's sentiments he said, "They may be balking but they are not the _only_ voices in their governments, in _any_ government. The buck, as it were, hardly stops here. You may need to be creative. They are scared, but if their people push hard enough they will have no choice but to help us."

"Yeah, unfortunately it may take a few Reaper attacks on their own colonies before that push _becomes _hard enough, and by then it may be too late," Shepard pointed out.

"Captain, Councilor, if I might have a word," Sparatus called, breaking from the guard and heading over as well. Though a good foot and a half taller than the human woman, Sparatus seemed somehow diminished, smaller. Even so, Del stiffened. The turian Councilor was hardly her favorite person in the galaxy, and had always been the most bitter and mocking of her detractors.

To her surprise, however, he bowed his head. "Shepard, I owe you a-…well, a tremendous apology," he said, making her blink. "My judgment of you was unfair and… sadly, the turian people are paying for my mistakes. We should have listened."

Apologetic though he was, there was too much bad blood between them for Shepard to resist. "Yeah, you _should have_. I'm just sorry that innocent turians are suffering because you stuck your talons in your ears rather than listen to a _human_."

"That…I deserve that," he admitted. "And unfortunately you speak more truth than I would like. Shepard, my hands are tied officially; I can give you no direct aid. However _indirectly_ I can offer you this: if a summit can be arranged between representatives from our governments not directly involved with Council affairs, there may be a chance you can get the support that you need. The turian Primarch, Fedorian, is overseeing Palaven global defenses on Menae, the largest of our moons. They are under heavy attack. Fedorian has authority to call a summit, and the turian people need him alive. If you are able to get him out of the hot zone safely, he will be able to arrange a meeting with the asari and salarian governments and get their support for both Earth and Palaven defenses. It is a _chance_, at any rate."

"It's better than the no chance we had before," Shepard admitted. "All right. The _Normandy_ is resupplying and increasing crew compliment. It'll be a few hours before we can go and at least a day before we can reach Palaven, but if you think the Primarch will be willing to help, I'll get him out of there."

Sparatus nodded, unable to bring himself to actually thank her. Instead he lifted his omni-tool, activating it. "I'm sending you the coordinates for the main base on Menae…if Fedorian isn't there, they'll know where to find him. Also, the Council has chosen to uphold your Spectre status, if you choose to accept it back. It'll increase your available resources and possibly open up a few doors."

"Right now I'll take any edge I can get."

"Good luck, Shepard. I…well. _Good luck_."

As he strode away, Udina hummed a little. "Bit of a surprise, but I suppose not entirely unexpected. Now that his own people are at risk he's willing to eat a little crow to save them."

Shepard's glance at the human man was scathing, but he seemed not to notice. In truth, she was disgusted by his hypocrisy- he was all too willing to lambast Sparatus for not believing her when _he_ _himself_ had treated her, on _more_ than one occasion, like a barely competent primitive barbarian.

"Yes, well. If you'll excuse us, Councilor, we have a lot of work to do and need to get the _Normandy_ under way as quickly as we can manage."

"Of course, Captain. If I am able to gain any headway with the other Councilors I'll let you know."

* * *

Shepard and Liara briefly parted ways after leaving the Presidium. Liara headed toward the long-term dock to see about getting her Broker materials shifted over to the _Normandy_, and Del went to the storage complex in the Zakera Wards. They agreed to meet back at Huerta before returning to the ship.

When she'd surrendered herself and the _Normandy_ to the Alliance, Shepard had arranged to have an hour in dock before Anderson and his men arrived to collect. The delay had been to give those of her crew that wished it time to make themselves scarce, but Shepard had taken advantage of it for her own ends, as well. She'd sent several things down to storage to prevent their being confiscated by the Alliance and most likely lost or destroyed.

Using her thumb-print to pass into the storehouse, she found her particular slot and repeated the action. The large locker slid outward, protective shields retracting as they revealed her belongings.

Immediately she picked up a small silver case, snapping it open to reveal several of her cigars and her lighter. Removing one and tucking it into her mouth, she lit it, an almost instant shudder of pure pleasure and relief passing through her.

"Thank _God_," she murmured, leaning on the edge of the locker slot. Six months without a single goddamn smoke. They hadn't been allowed in stir.

After a few moments just savoring the cigar, she tucked the case and lighter into her pocket and began checking over her other things. Her swagman, her liquor reserves, her guitar case, and her katana were mixed in with other odds and ends including civvie clothes and toiletries. Satisfied everything was accounted for and undamaged, she arranged for it to be sent to the Nest, and headed toward the hospital.

Huerta Memorial was bustling but not insanely busy as she arrived, stubbing the last of her cigar out in a tray just outside before heading in. Not spotting Nan immediately, she checked in with the receptionist, only to be pointed two floors up to intensive care. Nan wasn't in that waiting room either, and no one was sitting at that desk at the moment. Peering around, it was only moments before she heard a familiar voice calling to her.

"Shepard!"

"Helen?" she blinked as the older woman crossed the floor. Dr. Chakwas smiled, reaching out and taking Del's arms.

"You've been keeping in shape," she approved. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too but…what are you doing here?"

"I'm stationed here," she explained. "Well, more accurately, at an Alliance R&D lab a few blocks over. When I heard that the _Normandy_ had docked and someone was critically injured, I rushed right over. Dr. Felkis was kind enough to let me assist in treating Ash."

"How is she?" Shepard asked worriedly.

"I won't lie, it was bad," Helen told her. "It was touch and go for a little while, and we weren't sure we were going to be able to get the pressure off of her brain. However Dr. Felkis is extremely talented and, well…you _know_ how amazing I am. We're keeping her unconscious for a few days and it's going to be a long recovery, but she should pull through."

Shepard closed her eyes, her head bowing forward a little as she let out a breath. "Thank God…"

"Thank God and her hard head," Helen agreed.

"Can I see her?"

"Normally they don't let visitors into the ICU that are not family but…I think I can pull some strings, let you in for a few minutes at least. Oh, and I was a bit shocked to find out that your Nan is still alive."

"You saw her? Do you know where she is?"

"She went to get some coffee I think. We talked a little after the surgery. I'm sure she'll be back in just a few minutes. Come on, Ash is right down here."

Chakwas lead Shepard into the ICU, clearing her through the nurse's station before overriding the security lock on one of the rooms. "Five minutes, no more," Helen said quietly. "She won't be conscious, but she may be able to hear you."

The room was quiet, the faintly cinnamon smell of medi-gel mingling with the odor of antiseptics, plastic. Ash lay under a sheet on a bio-bed under the window, the artificial station sunlight only throwing her pale skin, her horrible bruises, into even sharper relief.

Edging almost timidly over to the bedside, Shepard's fingers stole out and lightly pressed against her hand before self-consciously retreating.

"_Hey_…" she whispered, then cleared her throat. "I know, umm…I know I'm probably the _last _person you want to hear but…since you can't exactly throw me out either…"

She was unable to wrangle up a smile even at her own weak attempt at levity. Turning she tugged a chair closer to the side of the bed, wearily sitting down. "Ash, I know that things are kind of…well, they've been kind of tense between us lately. That's probably my fault. I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with and I'm…well, _me. _I haven't really given you much reason to trust me, have I? You're a good soldier, Ash, and a smart woman. How the fuck you don't have your own command yet is beyond me."

Reaching out, her fingers hovered over the unconscious woman's hand again a moment, before they drew back. "Just-…get better, ok? This fight needs you in it, soldier. So…just _get better_."

She stood up abruptly, turning toward the door, only to see both Liara and Nan lingering just inside it. Frowning a little, she cleared her throat again, and stepped past them with a low "Excuse me."

Liara looked after her worriedly, but Nan touched her arm. "I'll go talk to her," she reassured. "Stay here and see your friend."

The older woman found Shepard standing in the waiting room, leaning against the wall and looking out the huge windows toward the Presidium gardens below.

Stopping beside her, she looked out as well, sipping at her coffee. "It's hard to know what to do sometimes, isn't it?" she said after a moment.

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what you told me back at Bonneville a few weeks ago?" Nancy asked. "When we were talking about Harbinger and that geth…Legion? You told me that the Reapers had a name for you…what was it again?"

"Iovino," Del replied, looking over at her.

"Yes, that was it. _Iovino_. And you don't know what it means."

"No, we haven't figured that out yet. If it even means _anything_."

"Oh, it _means_ something."

Del gave her a weary smirk. "You telling me you know what Iovino means?"

"No, but I'm telling you it means _something_," Nancy replied. "Del, there's only one reason an overwhelmingly powerful force would bestow a unique name or title upon an enemy."

"Really? And what's that?"

"Because they _fear _them," Nancy said matter-of-factly. "These things are so…monstrous, so incomprehensible, juggernauts of such power that untold civilizations have fallen before them time and time again…but they _fear __**you**_."

As Shepard glanced at her Nan took her shoulder, looking into her eyes as she lowered her voice. "They _know_ that you're going to beat them, Del. They know that you're _not_ going to stop until you find a way…you never have. They _fear_ you, and that means they have a _reason_ to fear. They can be destroyed, they can be stopped…and they _know it_. You're not going to let them beat you, Delilah. You're not going to let them win. I know it. The only reason you would lose is if you gave up- on your friends, or on yourself. Don't give up, sweetheart. I know it seems so hard right now but please…_don't give up_."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks again to the uberwonderful Bladhaire for her input!

_All tickle Bladhaire!_

* * *

_**New York, Earth – 18 years ago**_

The walls were a pale, cheerful shade of yellow, matched with the tiny flowers over the comforter on the bed. The girl stood in the doorway, lingering on the threshold between dim hall and bright room as if afraid to cross it.

Her companion was not so afraid, bustling past her with a cheerful smile. "Well, here we are," she declared. "I hope you like yellow, but of course we can repaint if you don't."

"Repaint," the girl stated in a low, baffled voice.

"Certainly! Any color you want. This is _your_ room now, Del…you can decorate it however you desire."

Rubbing almost compulsively at her arm, the gesture pure nerves and uncertainty, the fifteen year old edged tentatively past the door, looking around. Nan watched her with a smile, quiet sympathy in her eyes.

Del had come a long way in the two years she'd been at the Institute, but her journey toward a normal life was still far from complete. She had never had her own room before -one she could claim and change at her own discretion, a space solely her own. She was still adjusting to the fact that she could have _possessions_ without having to guard them constantly against thievery.

The girl gingerly sat the small case in her hand down on a side-chair, fingers hovering over the handle with that instinctive unease before she allowed herself to step away from it. Nan smiled at the motion, a display of the trust that she'd finally managed to engender between herself and the gangly teenager.

No, that wasn't _entirely _true. It hadn't been her that had first cracked that armor shell, and she knew it. That honor belonged solely to-

"_DEL!"_

Paul ran in, moving at Mach ten as he sailed into the room, flinging his arms around the girl's waist in unhesitating joy. The nine year old's shaggy, straw colored hair fell so as to hide the numerous scars on his skull…the remnants of a lifetime of surgeries to remove persistent tumors caused by fetal eezo exposure.

"_You're here you're here you're here_!" he chortled in delight, bouncing on his sneakers as he rejoiced. Shepard – who rarely let anyone, even Nan, actually _touch_ her-hugged the boy back with a shaky grin.

"Hey, goof-ball," she greeted. He stopped bouncing but kept hold of her as he grinned.

"You like the yellow? I picked the yellow, its _smiley_!"

"I like the yellow," Del replied. Clamping on to her hand, Paul immediately started tugging her toward the door.

"Come see _my_ room!" he urged. "It's blue! Mama got me the new Fever Force too! I'll show you!"

"Paul, now, don't overwhelm her! Del's going to be here quite a while-"

"It's ok, Nan," Del replied, allowing herself to be lead. Nan shook her head as she watched the pair go, Paul's exuberant voice ringing all the way down the hall.

From her expressions, she knew Del didn't _really_ like the yellow, and probably didn't care a single whit about the Fever Force action figures. When it came to Paul, however, there wasn't a single thing that Del wouldn't do. He had been the first one to get her to start coming out of her shell, to actually open up to the concept that she wasn't an animal, and that there was far more to life than just anger and pain.

Nan loved her son but she had never expected such an instant bond between him and the moody, tormented former vent-rat.

Bringing Paul to the Institute to meet Del was an act of desperation on Nancy's part. She knew that Del had a strange sense of protectiveness over those younger and smaller than she. She also knew the girl was shutting down hard, trapped in pure tormented instinct, retracting so insistantly from any attempt at kindness and socialization that even Nan was beginning to fear that the girl would actually will herself to death.

She'd seen it before. Human beings were social creatures, and they needed affection and love to survive. It had been proven time and time again…interaction and affection were as necessary to life as food, water, and air, especially for the young. Babies whose every physical need was attended to but who were never talked to or held would eventually simply stop moving, and then, just stop breathing. It happened to older children too…more than once a kid had been pulled off the street and simply shut down, curling up, closing off, and just giving up on life.

Depression was a cancer that ate away one's spirit. Quite a few, when they felt the bite of that cancer for too long, would take more active measures to end the misery. Del was not the kind to do such a thing, but left on its own and untreated, cancer eventually killed regardless…and so did depression. She had no doubt that if it weren't for Paul, Del would have continued downward until she gave up, refusing to eat or sleep or even move, her body and life just withering away.

She had brought Paul as a last ditch effort, and almost immediately she'd seen some of the spark return to Del's eyes. Paul never questioned, never judged. He found the smoldering embers of will hidden deep within her and urged them into fire again. Within the first hour they were coloring together, and Del had even smiled. The very _first_ smile Nan had ever seen on her face. That smile still made her tear up to think about.

_That kid saved her life,_ she thought as she leaned on the door a moment. _I have no doubt about it._ _My Paul saved that girl's life._

* * *

_**Citadel, Present Day**_

"Nan, it's a _lot_ safer on the Citadel," Shepard argued as they entered the bustling docks. Supplies and Alliance personnel were sweeping past them hurriedly, going in and out of the _Normandy's_ slip. Haley was standing at the airlock with Westmoreland, coordinating what was being moved on and off board and speaking with a civilian that Shepard didn't recognize.

She paused, turning toward the older woman and halting her with a light touch. "It's safer and you can help out at Huerta if you want. God knows they're going to need all the hands they can get real damn soon-"

"True," Nancy replied. "I can also help Dr. Chakwas in the _Normandy's_ infirmary-"

"It's a military vessel, Nan!"

"You don't think I can keep up, is that it?" she asked. "Besides, her _Captain_ is still in need of my help-"

"Her Captain is just fine!"

"Del, sweetie, c'mon now," Nancy urged gently. "I'm going to win this argument in the end. The Citadel is no safer for me than the _Normandy_ is…in fact, it's _more_ dangerous, if you really believe that Cerberus might try and hunt me down as some kind of retribution for what you did. All it would take would be one agent waltzing into Huerta and you'd be out my charming smile."

"That's _not_ fair!"

"No, it's not," Nancy agreed sadly. "Nothing in this war is fair or is going to _be_ fair, Del. You know that as well as I do. I appreciate you wanting to keep me safe, but as Liara no doubt told you when you tried to talk _her_ in to finding safe harbor as well, _nowhere_ is safe. I'm not leaving my baby when she needs me."

"How do _you_ know I tried to talk her into going somewhere safe?"

"Because I know you," Nancy reminded her. "And I know the idea of having her in harm's way terrifies you to your very core."

Shepard frowned broodily, glancing through the huge reinforced windows at the _Normandy_. Nan inclined her head, then slid an arm around her waist. "We want to _help_ you," she said. "We want to fight with you, because we _love_ you. Everyone that will be touched by this war deserves to fight for their life, Del. They deserve to _fight_. We may not be military but that doesn't negate or invalidate that right. Do you think David is going to hesitate to arm civilians back on Earth if he must?"

Shepard rubbed a hand over her face. She knew it was true, and she knew that Nan would be a help to Chakwas and to everyone else on board. She had both medical and psychiatric training and could help diffuse tension in the crew and provide a sense of balance.

_And if the Illusive Man wants to try and make good on his threat, the _Normandy_ would be the safest place she could be,_ she added silently.

"_Fine,_ we'll find a place for you," she said after a moment. Nancy nodded, clearly having expected no other answer.

"Then I had best requisition myself some clothes and toiletries while I have the chance. I'm glad you were able to talk Dr. Chakwas into coming back onboard. I only got to speak with her briefly but she's a hell of a doctor, and she's very fond of you."

Del snorted. "I hardly had to talk her into anything, she practically _begged_ me," she said. "All right, go on. Get what you need and then get back here. We're leaving in just a few hours."

Nancy tugged the taller woman down and kissed her cheek, before she slipped away, heading back toward the Presidium.

Shepard stood there for several minutes, looking out the windows as she watched ships docking and undocking. Liara had left Huerta ahead of them to coordinate the installation of the Shadow Broker's equipment on ship, and to give Nan and Del more time to speak without her constant hovering.

_You __**know **__you're going to have to tell her, about Wyatt. You can't hide it forever,_ that treacherous voice in her head urged. Shepard closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly.

She was getting a headache.

A moment later, she turned and looked back toward the airlock, as lifted voices drew her attention.

"I'm sorry, ma'am…as I've said _several times now_, I'm _not_ at liberty to divulge any information," Haley pronounced, his eyes fixed on the data pad in his hand as he continued to check his supplies list.

"Look, the last place the _Normandy_ was seen was on Earth," the civvie, a tall human woman, pointed out. "The question is simple…_did Commander Shepard make it off-world alive_?"

"_I am not at liberty to divulge any information!"_ Haley retorted. Del stepped back from the window, striding over. As he spotted her, Haley's eyes shifted toward her and he snapped to attention, saluting.

Immediately the civvie whirled, then grinned as she spotted her prey. "Ah! And _that's_ the answer I was looking for! Commander Shepard!"

"It's Captain," Shepard replied stonily. "May I ask why you are harassing my crew?"

"_Captain_, really?" the woman lifted a brow, before making a note in her omni-tool. "That's interesting. _Captain _Shepard, then. My name is Diana Allers, Alliance News Network."

_A __**fucking**__ reporter. Of course._

"Ms. Allers, I have no time or patience for an interview and my crew is extremely busy. They will not answer your questions."

"I'm not here for an interview, Captain," Allers replied quickly. "I'm here with a proposition. News of the attack on Earth has spread like wildfire…and you need that wildfire working to your advantage. If you allow me room aboard the _Normandy_ as a war correspondent, directly on the front lines, I can help ensure that the fire burns in the proper direction…on _our_ side, instead of _against_ it. People need to see the raw reality of what the Alliance is doing, is _sacrificing_, for their benefit. They need that reassurance."

Shepard frowned. "You want to park a civilian news crew on my ship?"

"No, no news crew, just me. Well, me and my hover-cam, of course. I'll stay out of the way, Com-…Captain, and your people get final veto power on any footage before it goes out…to make sure I don't reveal anything classified or that might pose a security risk."

"Jesus Christ, I don't have time for this."

Shepard began to step past, only to halt as the woman rather boldly darted into her path. "Captain, please, just listen," she urged. "There is a lot of misinformation out there. People are frightened. And despite what you might think, a great deal of them still believe in you. If they know you're fighting on our side, if they can _see_ that you're doing what's necessary, they will be more willing to step up themselves. It will give them hope. Or would you rather this war only present the angle that someone like Ralston or al-Jilani will give, coated with their _usual _agenda? You and I both know how _that_ will turn out."

Shepard did not move save to narrow her eyes slightly, then glance over Allers' shoulder. "_Haley_!"

He passed his data pad to Westmoreland and strode forward, saluting. "Ma'am?"

Speaking to Allers she warned, "You _will_ stay out of the way. If a single member of my crew has a hover-cam shoved into their faces while they're trying to work I will pitch it out an airlock and drop _you_ at the nearest moon, am I clear?"

"Crystal," Allers grinned.

"You will present any and _all _footage to Sergeant Haley before it airs for final clearance. You _will not_ argue with _anything_ he removes or allows. Attempt to circumvent his vetoes and I will put you in the brig and see that you are tried under Alliance espionage protocols."

"Understood."

"Good. Haley, find our 'war correspondent' a bunk. We'll see how long she lasts."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

_I'm not avoiding Liara_, Del told herself as she entered back into the Nest nearly three hours later. She had been repeating the words like a mantra over and over again for quite a while now, insisting to herself even though she knew better.

Everyone aboard was incredibly busy. New crew were checking in almost as swiftly as supplies were moving onto the ship. Chakwas arrived to help coordinate the infirmary, Nan showing up shortly thereafter. New instatements, food stores, medical stores, weapons and ordinance allotments, engineering requisitions…everything seemed to need Del's signature, data pads flying through her hands almost faster than she could put her stamp on them.

Meanwhile, down on the crew deck, Liara was directing the installation of her vast amounts of equipment, having stationed herself in the old XO office that used to be Miranda's. Shepard could be down there helping her now that some of the bustle had died down a bit, but instead she was up here, putting away her own belongings and repeating to herself that she was _not_, in fact, avoiding the asari.

_Just avoiding what I have to tell her._

New uniforms and insignia had arrived, the small case on her bed. Shepard opened the box, drawing out a crisp, fresh captain's tunic. Sitting down, she ran her thumbs over the thin gold lines at the collar, before she flopped back on the mattress, covering her eyes with one hand, the other still clasping the tunic to her chest. They still had two hours until they would be able to leave dock, and that was pushing it. They'd be heading straight for Menae, and-…

Her thoughts were lost as exhausted sleep pounced upon her, hauling her almost bodily into slumber.

* * *

_Liara sat at a table in a bright, sunlit room, dapples of gold and yellow playing merrily on the wall. The look on the asari's face was one of pure concentration as she worked at fastening together a tiny, intricate model of an Alliance ship very similar to the _Normandy.

_Del stepped up behind a chair, and the asari smiled at her._

"_Well, get to work," she said happily, pushing a box across the table toward the human woman. "It's not going to assemble itself."_

_Reaching into the box, Shepard pulled out a series of plastic pieces, turning them over in her hands. Ah, this model was of Earth. She could see the miniscule little holographic clouds scutting over parts of New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. Sitting down, she gathered them together and started trying to assemble them, only to find none of them would fit. _

"_This isn't working, Li," she protested, getting irritated at her failure. _

"_Just have some patience and try again," Liara urged. Her own model complete, she rose from the table and giggled, sweeping the toy ship through the air. Running around the room she kept plunging the little __**Normandy **__around, sending into dives and banks and tailspins, laughing happily as she did so. _

"_Come on, Shepard," she urged with a giggle. "She needs somewhere to land!"_

"_I'm trying!" Shepard replied, still struggling with the Earth model. Parts were snapping in her hands as she tried to fit them together, and each one that broke burst into painless flame, charring and curling like singed paper. "It's not working!"_

_A hand slammed down on the table in front of her. She lifted her head, looking up at Wyatt as the doctor beamed magnanimously. Liara skipped past him and he grasped her by the back of the neck with his other hand, swinging her effortlessly around. As he did, she changed into the little dark-haired girl._

"_That is because you are incompetent," he boomed in an unearthly voice, as the little girl's eyes met Del's. _

_Wyatt pursed his lips and blew a sharp breath, as one might use to blow out a candle. The girl puffed into ash and charcoal and came apart, blowing over the table and spitting fire over Del's cheeks._

Shepard jerked awake, one hand swiping over her face as she fought to clear the tiny embers that weren't really there. Blinking a moment, she refocused on her cabin before groaning, dropping her head back to the mattress.

_Fucking nightmare. Just another fucking nightmare._

_{Captain, we're just about secure,}_ Joker noted a moment later, as she set the tunic aside and pushed herself into a sit. _{We should be ready to depart for Palaven in the next ten minutes.}_

"Thank you, Joker, I'll be right down."

Getting to her feet, almost forcibly shoving the dregs of the dream far from her mind, she stripped down and started dressing in her new uniform, snapping the tunic straight and smoothing it with sweeps of her hands before picking up the insignia. As she did, a chime came from the door.

"Come," she called, glancing up. She could feel her shoulders tense notably when she realized it was Liara.

"Del," the asari greeted as she came down the few steps between office nook and bedroom, only half glancing at the aquarium as she passed it. "Admiral Hackett just got back to me about the data I sent him on the weapon. His analysts have confirmed my findings and he is coordinating efforts to get started on its construction. They are calling it the 'Crucible'."

"Good to know they came to the same conclusions. Let's just hope we can get enough manpower together to make it a reality," Shepard told her.

Crossing over to her, Liara set her data pad on the bed then took the insignia from Del's hand and began to fasten them to their proper places. "The uniform suits you," she noted as she smoothed her hands over the epaulets, then fastened the final pin to her chest, just below the shoulder. When Shepard said nothing, Liara dipped her head a little to meet her eyes.

"We need to talk," she said tentatively.

"We'll be departing soon, on course for Menae," Shepard reminded her. "I'll be needed at the CIC."

"Of course…but it will take over a solar day to reach Palaven space. There will be time for us to talk."

Del nodded weakly, resigned. "Yeah…"

"Shepard, I spoke with Nan," Liara informed her, her hands still resting on her shoulders. Shepard's recent reaquaintance with her cigars had made her familiar, autumnal scent heady once again. It was a smell that never failed to weaken the asari's knees, a scent that meant only peace, comfort, and love in her mind. "She did not go into detail…said it was not her place to do so, but she did tell me that something rather unpleasant occurred at Bonneville. Something unrelated to Aratoht or your censure."

Del blew out a sharp breath, but thankfully didn't retreat. Instead she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the asari's and sliding her hands around her waist. Before she could speak, however, her door chimed again. Liara lightly kissed her cheek, then nodded and stepped back a pace. "We can discuss it once we have left the Citadel," she assured. "I mean…if you wish. Meet me downstairs when you get a moment."

"Come!" Shepard called.

A woman stepped in, saluting almost before she was in the door. "Captain Shepard, I-…oh. Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you weren't alone-"

"It is quite all right, I was just leaving," Liara reassured her, then met Del's eyes a moment. "I will see you later?"

"Yeah. _Soon_, I promise."

Liara gave her a faint smile, then headed up the stairs, the newcomer stepping aside and nodding politely as she passed. Once the asari had gone, she turned toward Del again, once more snapping a salute.

"Sorry for the interruption, ma'am. I'm Specialist Samantha Traynor, ma'am…Alliance R&D. I was working on the retrofit of the _Normandy_ when we left Earth. I've gotten authorization to remain on board, ma'am-"

"Traynor?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"A few too many _ma'ams_," she said with mild amusement. "And your salute doesn't need to last an entire conversation."

The Specialist's arm immediately snapped down to her side, even as her cheeks colored a little. "Oh! Oh, sorry, ma…Capt-…"

"Shepard is fine," Del offered.

"Sh-Shepard, yes. Sorry-"

"You're doing fine, Traynor," Del reassured her, moving up the steps. The girl took an almost unconscious step backward even though the captain had plenty of room. Shepard measured her a moment, mentally shaking her head.

She was probably in her mid to late twenties, every inch of her uniform absolutely spot-on precise. Her voice was cultured, touched with an English accent. She looked a little nervous, and remembering how she had treated Westmoreland unfairly down in the infirmary, Shepard tried to avoid the same mistake.

"So, R&D?"

"Yes, ma'am," Traynor replied. "I was working on the quantum-entanglement communications systems, with EDI's assistance. Admiral Anderson had planned to use the _Normandy_ as his mobile communications hub, but it seems those plans have fallen a little by the wayside."

"So it would seem."

"_Shepard,"_ the AI piped in. _"Specialist Traynor has been extremely helpful in work on both the QEC and navigational systems array. More, she has a very pleasant personality. I agree with the Admiral's suggestion that she remain on board as a permanent member of the crew."_

"Wait…wh-what?" Traynor blinked, shocked. "Since when do VI's make suggestions?"

Shepard gave blue orb hovering over the scan pad nearby a baleful look. "Yes, _EDI_…since when do _VI's_ make suggestions?"

"_Shepard, the truth of my real nature will inevitably emerge, now that we are in full service. I cannot mask myself forever. Better it should come out now, if I am going to be part of this crew."_

Shepard hummed under her breath, the sound both irritated and agreeing. "EDI is not a VI," she told Traynor. "She's an AI, fully self-aware."

"Oh, I _knew_ it!" Traynor slapped a fist into her palm. "I _knew_ Joker was lying to me!"

"_I apologize for the deception,"_ EDI noted.

"I'm not angry at you," Traynor answered. "You had to keep yourself safe, I understand that. But I am _so_ paying Joker back for this! He tried to make me think I was crazy!"

"Sounds like Joker," Del chuckled despite herself. "Let me know if you need any help. I've tortured him in some creative ways in the past."

"I-…" Traynor regarded her a long moment, before dipping her head a little, bashfully. "I may just do that. Thank you, Captain."

"I'm heading down to the CIC for our departure," Shepard said, then indicated the door. "Walk with me. You can fill me in on what I need to know regarding the QEC on our way."

* * *

Part of Liara had not expected Shepard to come. She set herself to work finalizing her connections and squaring away the last of her equipment, but in truth neither her thoughts nor her heart were on the task.

She kept turning over and over in her mind what could possibly have happened that had wrought this change in the woman she loved. Del had been through an unbelievable amount of fire before. Liara had been first-hand witness to the abuses of her childhood, her life growing up on the streets, the things she'd seen and been forced into. What could have happened on a secure Alliance base back safe on Earth that was so horrific that she felt the need to close it off from the asari- so terrible that her unyielding stubborn determination actually seemed to be _cracking_?

She heard her door slide open, breaking her from her thoughts and then straightening her in surprise. Shepard had come after all.

The Captain's eyes wandered around the ranks of computers and display interfaces, a brow lifting when she caught sight of the white, hovering orb that seemed to be scrutinizing her.

"A VI?" she asked.

"This is Glyph," Liara explained. "It is my assistant. It helps me to prioritize and categorize incoming information and keeps me updated on critical data. Glyph, this is Captain Shepard."

"_Pleased to meet you, Captain Shepard,"_ the VI replied politely.

"Looks like you've moved in quite nicely," Del noted as she gestured at the room. "I hardly recognize the place."

"My agents knew I would be out of direct communication for a short while but, I wanted to be back online as soon as possible. It can wait, however. Right now…"

She took Del's hands, drawing her back through the room to where the bed stood behind a partition. Coaxing Shepard to sit, she seated herself beside her. "_Talk_ to me," she urged gently.

"Liara, things are so…it's just so complicated," Del said wearily. Cupping her cheek, Liara inclined her head in understanding.

"Then you do not need to _tell_ me. You can _show_ me," she suggested, referring to a meld. She had hoped that might be easier, but from the way Shepard stiffened up it was clear it was the wrong tack to take.

"_No_. No, I can't show you."

"What is it that you think I will not be able to handle?" Liara asked. "I have seen your worst memories already, Shepard. What could possibly-"

"All of them at once," Del murmured.

"All of them at…I do not understand."

Del let out a breath, then rose, scrubbing her hand through her hair. Liara looked at her patiently, and after a moment, Shepard spoke.

"Back at Bonneville, before the hard debrief, they wanted to make sure I was psychologically fit to be questioned," Shepard told her. "Standard procedure, and nothing I haven't been through before. Fuck, my head's been shrunk a thousand times by a thousand different people. I'm used to it. They had to keep me shackled until the shrink gave the ok that I wasn't…well, that I wasn't going to go fucking crazy on people."

Liara said nothing, not daring to interrupt. To break Del's resolve now might mean never getting it back. After a slight pause, the human woman continued.

"They left me alone with the psychiatrist. I was shackled so, I wasn't going anywhere. He started out normal enough, asking me the usual questions. Squirrely little bastard though. Smiled too much. My gut was sending out all sorts of signals-"

"He did something to you?" Liara asked quietly.

"He drugged me," she said. "I woke up strapped into some goddamn chair, wired up to a weird machine. He said he was from Terra Firma, that I was a joke and a failure and an insult to all human beings because I was a shill for the Council, because I worked with aliens, and because…"

She made a helpless gesture, only half looking at Liara. The asari pressed her palm against her belly, her voice merely a breath.

"And because of _me_…"

Shepard looked away again, and after a long moment of silence, Liara's jaw tightened, her eyes fixed on her love's back. "What did he do to you, Shepard?"

Silence.

The asari rose to her feet. "Del, what did he do to you?"

Silence.

Striding over, she placed her hands on Del's shoulders. Roughly, the human woman whipped around and hugged her tightly. Liara gripped hold of her, fingers knotting in her hair a moment as she raggedly whispered in her ear.

"_What did he do to you?"_

Closing her eyes, she opened herself up, lightly brushing against Del's mind once again. This time, to her surprise, the woman let her in, their spirits merging and tangling together.

The room melted away, vanishing as it was replaced by a seashore. Normally Shepard's place of peace, this shore was cold and lonely. The sea itself had retreated, laying bare tidal pools and broken coral reefs. Dead and dying fish clogged the sand and rock, and the sky was heavy with dark clouds. In the distance, the sea was a great vertical wall of rushing power, a tidal wave that loomed at its apex but did not move forward, ringing them from every side, poised to crash doom down upon their heads.

Reflected in the waves was a human man's face, smiling and bespectacled. Holding tight to Shepard, Liara sent her energy out toward the water.

"Show me," she urged. "I love you, Shepard. This _will not_ change that…_show me_."

The waves came crashing down, a mad torrent of rushing power that swirled around the two clinging forms.

Liara saw everything.

_I'm going to show everyone just how crazy you are._

It was as if every bad moment of Del's life, every unpleasant memory, every fear and uncomfortable sensation she had ever endured, had all been recreated at once, hitting her simultaneously and etched in exquisitely horrific detail.

Liara had read about the human Christian version of the punishing afterlife, a place they called Hell. She did not know if such a thing truly existed but if it did, she could imagine no closer approximation to it than this; to have all of the good stripped away from your life, and all the ruin left behind swallowing you up.

She felt Shepard's mind start to withdraw and her spirit desperately firmed its grasp, not allowing her to retreat, not allowing her to hide any aspect of it. It seemed years but in truth, it was only minutes before it was done, before they were back in the XO's room again, both shaking as they held on to one another. Liara could feel the thundering of her heart, the heat of the tears on her face.

_What kind of a beast could do such a thing?_

Del's arms dropped and she turned, stumbling a little. Head lowered, she gripped the back of a chair, using it to steady herself as she covered her face. Liara lacked the strength at first to stop her, her own mind and spirit still reeling from the experience. Shepard shoved the chair with a snarl, banging it against the floor.

"Del…" Liara's voice was thick as she gently lay her hands on her companion's arms. "I-"

A cry of pain and rage tore from Del's throat, chilling Liara to the core. Twisting out of the asari's grip Shepard spun around, right hand clenched into a fist and swinging hard. The crack of bone as her fist slammed into the wall next to Liara's head was unmistakable, Liara flinching both at the sound and at the look in Del's eyes.

Her beautiful dark brown eyes were a chaotic swirl of misery and fury, Liara's reflection all but swallowed by the storm.

Several tense moments dragged by, the oppressive silence broken only by Shepard's ragged breathing and the slap of her left palm meeting the wall on the other side of Liara's head. Her fist was still planted where it had struck, effectively trapping Liara between the wall and Del's body.

No words could soothe the hurt that Shepard bore, that much Liara knew. Resisting every urge, every instinct that was screaming at her to say something, Liara waited, her gaze never wavering from Shepard's.

Apparently oblivious to her injuries, Del shifted her weight to her left hand, her right hand moving to Liara's cheek, fingers gently stroking the asari's face.

Eyes widening at the smear of red her fingers left behind something deep within Del broke. Suddenly the woman sagged in almost sickening parody of a marionette cast aside by its operator. A low sob broke out as she collapsed to her knees, right hand cradled in her lap. Quickly kneeling Liara gathered Del in her arms and held her close, harsh sobs shaking the woman's frame.

"You are _not_ alone," Liara affirmed, ignoring her own tears. "You will _never_ be alone again."

She would find out from Nan, from the Admirals, where this man Wyatt was now. If they would not tell her, her Broker network surely would find out the answer for her.

She was going to _find_ this man.

She was going to _find him_…and Goddess help him when she did.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry no chapter yesterday, wasn't feeling well and was in a bad head-space. Rest of the week should flow as planned.

Also, I have ordered a laptop that should be in my hot little hands by the middle of next month. This means I may actually get to post on occasion from home….**insert evil grin here**

* * *

The cool touch of medi-gel immediately soothed her split knuckles as Liara gently tended to them. Propped on the floor of the asari's room, her back against the foot of the bed, Shepard simply sat, watching the ministrations with distant eyes.

"I heard the crack," Liara told her, glancing up at her gaze. "Chakwas will need to look at it."

"You know I'll hear no end of this," Del said, smirking without mirth. "Ten minutes back in command of the _Normandy_ and I've broken my fingers again."

"Well, one day you will learn not to hit things even more stubborn than you are," the asari teased slightly, grateful for the chuckle in response, however faint and weary. Finishing with the medi-gel, she wiped her hands clean on a soft rag from the kit resting nearby, closing it and sliding it to the side before she shifted to sit beside the human. Wrapping an arm around her, Liara lay her head on Del's shoulder.

Enveloping the asari, Shepard hugged her close, just reveling in the calm she always seemed to bring. "I _missed_ you, Tianlán…"

"I missed you too," Liara whispered.

They simply sat for a while, secure in each other's warmth, reminded that despite Wyatt and the Reapers and the war…for right now, this moment, they were together in a place of calm that nothing else could touch.

Chin resting on Liara's head, Shepard felt weariness and exhaustion seeping over her again. Emotions could drain energy as fast, if not _faster,_ than physical activity could…and the day had been filled with an overabundance of both. Not wanting to fall asleep, she let her eyes roam idly around the room, then lifted a brow as her sights caught on something.

"You still have that chain?" she asked. "The one Jack gave us?"

Liara lifted her head, following Del's gaze toward one of the equipment boxes she had been unpacking. The shimmering lengths of metal were just visible within it. Releasing her hold on Del, Liara leaned over and grasped the box, pulling it closer and withdrawing the chain.

"Yes, indeed," she said as she held it. "I have been doing some research on it the last several months, during my downtime on Mars."

"Only you would consider doing _more research_ as a break from doing research," Del joked faintly. Liara half smiled at her.

"Kind of like you getting into bar fights to wind down from getting into gun fights," the asari teased lightly.

"Touché, Dr. T'Soni," she conceded. "So, did you figure out anything about it?"

"Yes, some. It is fascinating…and a little disturbing," she said as Del touched the links of metal curiously. The alloy was strange, so smooth it almost felt like silk.

"Oh yeah?"

"My initial thought was that this chain was Prothean, or at least contemporary. However studies show it is far older than that."

"Older? How old? It's not Reaper tech, is it?"

"No, I do not believe it is Reaper tech either, it does not match the data from known samples. It is over 80 million standard years old."

Shepard stared, letting the lengths of silver slide through her hands. "_That_ old? And it looks _this _good? Where the heck did some Cerberus thug find it?"

"I do not know," Liara said. "The alloy is unfamiliar, and seems completely impervious toward physical damage or degradation of any kind. It also immediately absorbs and contains any biotic energy that comes into contact with it. It is tied endemically to the control cube, which tunes automatically to the DNA imprint of the last person to have touched it. Only that person can unfasten the chain or harness the energy stored within it. Indeed, I am less astonished by its age and condition, and more surprised that in all that time, the cube was not separated from the chain and lost."

"Yeah. I can't even keep matching _socks_ together for longer than a day," Del snorted. "Jack mentioned that she was 'shocked' with this as punishment, if she tried to use her biotics against the scientists as they were moving her around," Del noted. "So…it's meant to imprison, or torture…?"

"The chances are that the society that created this is so far beyond our realm of understanding, that we cannot even begin to speculate what its true purpose originally was," Liara told her. "That it can be used for such things now is certainly not in question, but for all we know it could have been a mark of honor, or some kind of test of adulthood. It could be a component to some larger device or vehicle…we most likely will _never_ know."

"Well, keep it close, at any rate," Del told her, passing the chain fully back to Liara's hands. "Can't tell when something like this might come in handy, and better it's in your hands than someone else's."

"Yes," the asari agreed, carefully winding it up again. "I would hate to think of what would occur were someone like the Illusive Man to get hold of this. That man is a shiver waiting for a spine to run down."

Shepard snorted faintly, lifting her brows with a smirk. Liara looked up at her with mild surprise.

"What?"

"Didn't know you were poetic, T'Soni," she teased gently.

Liara gave her a half-smirk and a sideways look, returning the chain to its box. "You have to admit, it is an apropos metaphor."

"Ooh, and with the _big words_ and everything…you know how that turns me on."

Liara chuckled, hugging her tightly again, kissing her cheek softly before her fingers stroked at Del's hair. They lingered a bit on the new silver streak, her head inclining as she regarded it.

"Don't like it?" Del asked self-consciously, lifting her hand to touch it as well. "I could always dye it I guess-"

"No," Liara replied. "I _do_ like it, actually. It makes you seem…distinguished somehow. Not that you were not distinguished before, of course. I just…the wound-"

"I know. It was a close call." Del twined her fingers in the asari's, lightly kissing her knuckles. "If you like it, I'll keep it."

"I do," Liara agreed.

Enveloping the asari in her arms, Del held her close. Just feeling her near seemed to make everything else fall away, and right now, Shepard desperately needed that. Despite the fact that they were on the _Normandy_ together, time spent in one another's company would likely be short and precious. Liara had more than enough to keep her busy with the Broker network, and Del would be up to her eyeballs in running the ship and getting everything together to try and make a difference in this war.

_God help us get through this…_she thought sadly. _I don't know if you're there or if you can even do anything, but please…if there's a way through this, help me to find it and be strong enough to see it through._

* * *

The War Room was a mad-house as Shepard strode onto it, half-heartedly tossing off a salute in echo of the dozens shot her way the moment she appeared.

Dr. Chakwas had treated her hand the night before, declaring the fingers only mildly fractured and giving Shepard a stern look that told her she'd better behave with them. Even so, Del had detected a bit of nostalgia in that gaze. With everything going on, Helen took solace in the fact that some things never changed…even if those things were Shepard hitting things she shouldn't.

Del was dressed now in a full hard-suit and weapons pack, the handle of her katana standing out oddly beside the sniper, assault rifle, and pistols on her hips. Liara, striding along on her heels, was similarly decked (sans sword, of course), her face solemn as she followed Shepard from the lift and into the chaos.

Haley, Traynor, Vega and an unfamiliar man were waiting at the center console as they entered.

"Ma'am, we are ten minutes out from Palaven…ETA fifteen until we reach Menae," Sgt. Haley provided as Traynor accessed the console.

"We have the planet on our scanners," she stated. "We are reading dozens of Reaper signatures in orbit or groundside on Palaven itself, and another six around Menae. The Turian Fleet is engaging so the entire area is a hot zone."

Palaven appeared hovering over the console, surrounded by the faint ghosts of Reapers and ships. The planet seemed to be on fire, thousands of glimmers of ember orange writhing over every dark continent, barely seen through clouds of shifting smoke.

Liara gasped at the sight of it, letting out the faintest moan. "Oh…_Palaven_…"

"The _Normandy_ is going to have to keep at the outskirts of the battle," Shepard ordered, reaching out herself and switching the feed to Menae. The moon didn't seem to be faring much better. "We'll have to take the shuttle in to retrieve the Primarch."

"That's where I come in, ma'am," the unfamiliar man saluted. "Lt. Steven Cortez. I work dockside maintenance on the Kodiak and MAKO and will be filling in as shuttle pilot."

"Good to meet you, Cortez. We'll find out soon if your nerves are steady enough for the job…this isn't going to be an easy drop."

"The main turian coordination efforts on the moon are here," Traynor supplied helpfully, indicated a small region on the south equator. "The Primarch is most likely to be there, or they will know how to best find him. Their communications array seems to be down so we cannot contact them directly."

"I hope that is not a bad sign…" Liara murmured.

"EDI, have Joker get us in as close as possible to the moon without compromising the _Normandy_. Cortez, it'll be up to you to get us the rest of the way in. Let's move, we need to be dirt-side as quickly as possible."

As they turned to go, Liara glanced worriedly at Del. "Is that what it is like at Earth?"

Shepard's expression told her all she needed to know, her voice low as she said, "Worse."

"Del, I am so sorry…"

"Don't be," the captain replied firmly. "We're going to put a stop to it. Minds on recreation, Tianlán. Let's get down there and show these fuckers what's what."

* * *

As the group strode out, Traynor looked back at the console, adjusting their own communications array so that there would be little chance of disruption between the ship and their ground-team. As she did, she gave a nervous little smile. "She's…shorter, than I imagined."

"What? Who?" Haley asked stiffly. She blinked up at him, surprised at the gruffness of his response. He had almost a boyish face, pleasant enough, but his manner always seemed so tense, his nose almost perpetually wrinkled, as if constantly smelling something faintly bitter.

"Captain Shepard," she replied congenially. "She's…well, _shorter_ than I figured. Not that she's _short_, I just…I suppose the vids always just made her look taller somehow."

"The news exaggerates," he replied. "Images _and _content."

"You don't like the captain much, do you?"

"I do my job, Specialist. What I do or do not think about my superiors is of no relevance. I do my job and obey orders."

She watched him stride out, then shook her head, refocusing on what she was doing. _She's __**definitely**__ shorter than she seemed on the vids,_ she thought as she worked, then felt her cheeks heat. _Shorter…but twice as lovely-…_

She shook her head once, sharply, coloring more as if someone could possibly have overheard her. _Stop that now, Sammi…mind on your work._

It was bad enough, given all those comments she'd made about EDI's sexy voice without realizing the VI was actually an AI…she hardly needed to get distracted at her job because of her new captain was not only a living breathing legend, but-

_Stop it, Sammi…just __**stop it**__!_

* * *

_{Captain, you're in as close as I can get you but be careful…we're at the fringes but there's a small cluster of Oculus heading our way. EDI and I will keep the heat off you as best we can,}_ Joker reported as Cortez lifted the shuttle out of the bay and into the black. Shepard stood in the arch between compartment and helm, one hand gripping a rail to steady her as she looked over Cortez's shoulder.

"Understood. Cortez, you may have to do some dancing."

"I can make a _MAKO_ dance, the Kodiak is no problem," he reassured. "I'll get you dirt-side safe.

"Palaven's a mess," Vega commented, turning her head. He and Liara were watching the fight outside thanks to the feeds piped through to the body of the shuttle. "Dios, to think of _Earth_ this way-"

"Don't get distracted," Shepard ordered sternly. "We'll be hitting the ground hot and I need your mind in the here and now, LT."

"Yes, Cap..of course."

"Hang on," Cortez warned, and the shuttle swooped as he avoided a rogue Oculus that darted his way.

The _Normandy_ had encountered the things before, back in the galactic core months ago when they'd passed through the Omega Four relay. The nasty little devices were the size of squadron fighters and seemed to fulfill much the same role, providing fire support for the larger Reaper dreadnoughts. The Alliance had dubbed them 'Oculus' since their single red MHD weapon port made them look like big metal eyes.

Despite the inertial dampeners and the mass effect fields, the shuttle shuddered and rumbled faintly in response as the edge of one blast from the Oculus barely skidded over the hull. She heard Cortez curse faintly, then readjust his course.

"_Normandy_ snagged it, we're clear," he reported. "Scans are showing the LZ is crawling though…they got husks up to their armpits."

"Get us in low and get this door open. We'll clear the LZ," she barked. Hauling her helmet off the rack she pulled it on and snapped it down, Liara and Vega doing the same. She drew her rifle and nodded at the asari.

"Been a few months out of the game," she hedged. "You ready for this?"

"Just point me at them," Liara told her, making Vega chuckle.

"I _knew_ I liked you, Doc," he teased.

As the door hissed and began to lift, Shepard snapped her rifle up to her shoulder. "All right, let's mow a path."

Unlike Earth's moon, Menae had a thin atmosphere and nearly standard gravity. It had been used as a military outpost by the turians for years, and they had established a heavy military presence on it when the Reapers initially entered the system, in order to flank their forces.

A tried and true strategy that had served them well before completely failed in light of the sheer force of the Reapers. They had been able to keep very little heat off of Palaven itself and nearly a third of the forces on Menae had been wiped out within the first day. Though not the biggest fleet in the galaxy (an honor that belonged to the quarians), the turians were arguably the strongest…and they were being wiped out as if they were nothing.

As the shuttle doors opened Shepard saw the gray, silted dirt of the moon blowing in heavy clouds. She could see part of the reinforced wall of an outpost, a few sentries grim-faced as they fired steadily into the relentless wave of husks. She didn't pause, but opened fire herself the moment the door had cleared far enough.

Cutting through the indoctrinated beasts, they forced them back from the wall far enough for the shuttle to lower, and finally touch dirt. Instantly the trio was on the ground, Liara setting a barricade around them and forcing the husks back through sheer biotic energy as Vega and Del continued to fire.

Unable to feel fear, hesitation, or defeat, the mindless abominations kept on, scrambling over broken rock, back-lit by the flash of the devastating aerial war going on behind them. Reapers loomed on the horizon, striding in their endless harvest and, overlooking all, Palaven simply burned.

"Gate's this way!" Vega called out, and Shepard paused in her firing only long enough to clear her heat-sink and urge Liara in that direction. The three edged toward the wall, putting the heavy structure to their back.

At a lull Liara let her barrier drop, using her biotics instead to sweep half a dozen of the things off the rock they were clinging to and back into oblivion. Shepard gave the area a quick scan, then nodded. "We're clear."

"Open the gate, we've got friendlies!" a sentry called, the portal behind them irising wide a breath later.

Entering a reinforced courtyard, surrounded by armed soldiers, it was still not surprising that Del didn't even feel remotely safe. The outpost was an illusion, a dream of safety in the nightmare surrounding them. All it would take was a single one of the dirt-side Reapers to turn its MHD toward them and they were all done for.

Pushing that out of her mind, she gripped one of the turians by the shoulder as she strode, drawing him along a pace or two. "I need to find your Primarch! Who is in charge?"

"General Corinthus!" he replied, pointing at a sheltered prefab not far from where they were. Heading that way, she quickly measured the man who seemed to be giving the orders, his eyes almost never moving from his report display even as he barked direction.

"We've got a unit cut off to the south, we need reinforcements," he noted as Shepard drew near. "What is our status on communications?"

"Still down, we've got a team making repairs at the tower now but the husks are pressing hot around the area."

"Shift Omega team over to cover them, we need that tower back up," he ordered, his citrine eyes flicking momentarily up toward Shepard. "Captain, I must say I'm a bit surprised to see the Alliance on sight. I suppose it's too much to hope that you've come with a whole fleet?"

"Sorry, General," she replied. "Much as I'd love to we're not here to reinforce Palaven. We're here looking for Primarch Fedorian-"

"Well, then you're shit out of luck," he countered. "He's dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as he tried to leave Menae."

"_Fantastic_," Vega grumped.

"I'm sorry to hear that General," Shepard told him, "but it doesn't honestly doesn't change what you or I need. You need this war to stop…so do I. I need someone in authority who can call a war summit to address the Reaper threat on all fronts. With Fedorian dead I need an _alternate_. Who in High Command can call and chair a summit?"

"Communication between Menae and High Command has been spotty at best. We haven't been able to reach anyone off the moon in nearly an hour…given the pressure Palaven is under I don't even know if anyone in HC is still alive. The Primarch _has_ a successor, we just don't know _who_ it is yet, and won't until we can talk to our people!"

"Sir! Sir," a young turian ran up, panting. "Sir, they've nearly got the array fixed but we have a massive wave coming toward the southern wall!"

"General, my people and I will go and reinforce that wall," Shepard told him, knowing that even if they had communications and got a name, it would do no one any good if they were completely over-run.

"Thank you, Captain. Hopefully by the time that wave is clear I'll have a name I can give you, but I can't promise anything."

Turning, leaving the shelter, Shepard strode toward the south. A small handful of men were rushing that way to reinforce the barricade. Gripping Liara's shoulder, Shepard ordered, "Get up there on the left, near those rocks…keep anything that gets onto the wall from getting over it. Vega, to the right, keep your gun hot and those men protected."

As the pair trotted off, Shepard's eyes landed on the center of the wall…or rather, the great big ALC gun sitting upon it.

She grinned.

* * *

In boot and then her first assignment, Shepard had specialized in heavy weaponry. Anti-tank, anti-craft, anti-low-craft, artillery and mine-work. As Kasumi had noted once and as many others had observed over the years, Shepard got oddly excited when very large things exploded or fired around her, especially if they did so at her cause. Put the handles of an anti-craft weapon in her hand and she was galvanized to an almost demonic fervor.

Later, she had spent some time aboard the Alliance's small single-man fighters and had been a hairs' breadth away from joining the fighter battalions as a combat pilot…which to her, was simply being behind the controls of a great big gun that _flew_. That's when she'd been approached for the N7 program and after much soul-searching, had decided to accept.

In the years since, she had never been behind the stick of a fighter again, but on occasion something like _this _happened…which was nearly as good.

Gripping the fire supports of the ALC, Shepard swung the arm sized turret barrels toward the encroaching husk horde and grinned a grin that would have made Dante shiver to see. It was not fire and brimstone per se that she rained down upon the pestilent horde of twisted humanity…but it was a wrath of judgment nonetheless.

The fist-sized ammo accelerated to super-sonic speeds by a small mass effect field tore through the husks as if they were tissue paper, fire spitting three clear feet from the muzzles of the wide barrels. Shepard swung the weapon in a wide arc, ripping a swath through the enemy that soon had them clambering over mounds of their own shredded dead.

The noise was, of course, incredible, her helmet acting automatically to dampen the concussion and preserve her hearing. Unprotected her eardrums would have been irreparably ruined in the initial burst alone.

Though Liara and Vega were in place to pick off any husks that managed to circumvent the massacre, not a single one made it through, each just as stupidly charging right up the middle regardless of the mounting dead.

Then, a bellow that was audible even _with_ the sound of the heavy gun, and the piles of shriveled ash and dying cybernetics flew apart as a demon burst through them.

Del only had time to think _what kind of goddamn brute is __**this**_? before the thing was under her range of fire and slamming into the wall with all the force of a freight train. The three or four shots that had opened up orange-sized holes in its hide didn't even seem to slow it down.

The shockwave of impact dented the metal just below her and swung the unlocked gun around. Shepard felt her grip torn free of it and was flung into the air. Even as she fell, she tucked into a roll, striking hard rock with her side and shoulder and tumbling. Stunned, blinking, she forced herself to her feet, drawing her assault rifle in the same motion.

She had not been the only one knocked free. Two or three turians had also tumbled, and the beast had one in its massive paw, slamming the poor fellow's broken body like a rag-doll against the ground. Shepard swiped the dust away from her face-plate and opened fire on the monstrosity a breath before she saw a flash of blue.

Liara leapt off the top of the wall in a graceful lunge, her body alight with blue fire that sent her drifting lightly to the ground. As the beast oriented on her, Shepard stitched a pattern of bullets over its side. It was enough to get its attention and it turned, snarling.

What it _was_, Del could scarcely imagine. It looked like a bastard child of a turian and a krogan, grotesquely lumped together, pumped with enough steroids to kill an entire z-gee ball team, and fitted with an _extremely_ short temper. That it was Reaper tech was unmistakable, its body and eyes shimmering with cybernetics.

As it turned toward her Liara sent a slam across its face hard enough to stumble it, then tried to entangle it in a singularity. It threw off the biotics as if swatting a fly, and lunged toward the asari as Del launched into the air, tossing her assault rifle away.

The gleam of a katana blade caught the light, the weapon plunging into heavy hide, driven there by the weight of her leap. Gripping the handle tightly as the brute arched and bellowed, she planted her boots against its back. Grabbing hold of one of the stubby ridges lining the back of its huge shoulders, she tore the katana out and threw her weight upward, plunging it down once more…this time into its oddly skinny neck.

It was like stabbing into a tree, or into power cables. The katana speared the neck completely through but she was unable to withdraw it. Feet planted on its broad shoulders, hands gripping the handle of the sword as the monster thrashed, Del wrenched and twisted, trying to loosen it enough to haul it free.

Clawed hands groped upward, trying to reach her, as the beast dropped to its knees. Another biotic crack rocketed into its jaw, breaking skull and teeth with the force. Clenching every muscle in her body, Shepard gave the blade one last wrench, the razor-sharp edge of it finally slicing through the synthetics and nearly severing the head altogether. As it collapsed she hopped off its back, stumbling in the dirt and grasping Liara's arm, even as she looked around.

"_You all right_?"

"I am fine," the asari panted.

A few of the turians who had fallen turned their guns on the remaining handful of human husks still mindlessly attacking the wall as Vega's voice filled her ear. The man had managed to retain his place up above, and now was looking down, palm plastered to his helmet.

_{I used to think those stories about you were fabricated,}_ he chortled. _{If I hadn't seen it with my own two beautiful baby browns I __**never**__ would have-}_

_{Well, believe it,}_ Another familiar voice broke in. One of the turians turned from the ruins of a dead husk and started toward Shepard and Liara, shedding his helmet as he went. Panting, out of breath, Garrus Vakarian nevertheless managed a grin. "She's almost as unbelievable as _I_ am, though I'm _still_ more stylish."

* * *

The careless curls of white smoke drifted past, forming first eldritch patterns and wisps, then caressing fingers that seemed to slide momentarily past his hair before vanishing again. The faint surge of nicotine, the soothing warmth in his lungs…both almost pointless now. It seemed he craved the cigarettes more and more, and yet they did less and less to calm or sate him.

Casting aside a hovering screen, he turned to look at the asari contemplating him in silence. Eír was a valuable tool to have, if a dangerous one, but she had the most annoying habit of answering his calls and then not _saying_ anything, watching him in utter silence and always, _always_, forcing him to be the first to speak.

"There you are," he said, nonplussed. If that was the game she wished to play he saw no harm in allowing her to think she had the upper hand. Her hatred and fuel for revenge coupled with her unparalleled biotic power made her a very handy tool to possess…and it usually paid to keep the tools happy until they had outlived their usefulness. "I have a task for you."

"I am listening."

"Are you familiar with Grissom Academy?"

"No."

"It is a school for human students, a place for biotics and others with exceptional gifts. Most of the students have been evacuated from the school and sent home in light of the Reaper attack on Earth, however our intelligence network has discovered that several top students have elected to remain behind. With the Alliance distracted by the Reaper threat, the opportunity to retrieve these students is prime. We could use their singular skills."

"I doubt they'll go willingly," she said disinterestedly.

"You'd be surprised what people in frightening situations will do 'willingly'," he told her. "At any rate, we're taking no chances. Our infiltration team will be fully armed, though they are going to take as many of the students as they can alive. I would like you and your brother to accompany them."

"I told you I was at your disposal, but Shepard is my top priority-"

"I know, which is why I know you'll be perfect for this job. One of Shepard's former crew, a strong biotic named Jack, is instructing at the Academy and has remained behind with her students. She is powerful…nowhere near as powerful as _you_, of course, and she used to be one of ours. One of _Gellian's_, point of fact."

Eír stiffened at that, drawing straight, her eyes piercing. He knew he had her then, but he continued on.

"We could use her back. More importantly, Shepard is extremely protective of her crew, former or otherwise. Chances are if we take the Academy _and_ her friend, Captain Shepard will show up sooner or later to address the situation. I'd rather not have a confrontation at the Academy itself. It would be much preferable if we can lead Shepard into our territory, under our conditions…but preference may not factor into this. The woman is stubborn, skilled, and has an irritating knack for sniffing out what she shouldn't. If she _does_ show up at Grissom…I'd like you and Thug there waiting for her."

All trace of indifference had banished from her eyes. "If she _does_ come, we _will_ rip her apart," she warned.

"That's fine. As interesting as the prospect is to have Shepard in Cerberus hands alive and intact, even if just for dissection…it is far too dangerous. I need her out of the way, and your particular brand of 'out of the way' will suit just fine. Captain Shepard and whoever she brings along for the ride are yours to do with as you please, should they appear at Grissom. The students and staff of the Academy, however, are _not_ to be harmed if avoidable. I am transmitting you the coordinates now to rendezvous with our team. From there, it will take you two days to arrive at the Academy."

Eír said nothing before she cut the call, her form vanishing into fading light, but her smile said everything. There was no possibility in that smile for love, charity, or mercy.

The Illusive Man didn't know if Shepard would actually end up at Grissom Academy or not…he supposed in the long run it didn't matter. One day, sooner or later, she was going to come face to face with the living wrath that was Eír Seko, and when _that _day happened, the entire galaxy would tremble both with the force of her death and the rebirth of the human race.


	11. Chapter 11

The dirt shoulder around the old asphalt had churned into mud, the clouds low and unyielding in their punishment of rain. Night had fallen, and the occasional light of a shuttle or sky car lancing through the air only seemed to punctuate the gloom, exhaustion, and chill.

Old Fort Lewis was sizable, and defensible…against ground forces anyway. Were one of the full Reaper ships to set its sights upon them they'd be lost just as fast as any of the cities, if not faster. It was a good meeting point but truth be told, they wouldn't be able to stay long. The larger a group remained gathered for any length of time in any kind of focused location, the faster they'd become a target, and the more easily they would be wiped out.

Despite the hour and the rain, people were rushing everywhere, setting up shelters and communications bases, inventorying food and water rations, medical supplies, coordinating vetted military forces with the rag-tag militia of armed civilians, most of whom had never picked up a gun before that day.

"Pione, I want that roster! Every trained military man on those walls and on full rotation! Heintz, do we have that field hospital set up? Some of these people need triage and I have sixteen medics standing around with no place to work!"

Anderson's voice was lifted above the hullaballoo, the older man completely ignoring the rain as he issued orders and directed the chaos around him.

"Sir, we've got solid communications," a young woman hurried up, pointing toward one of the smaller buildings. "We've got a private out of Copenhagen, a police captain out of Prague, any number of civvies on the band, and a red tag directly to Admiral Chau in Brazil."

"Finally, some _good_ news," he rumbled, striding that direction. "Have we been able to reach Hackett and the Fleets yet? What about Jack Barrett?"

"Still trying sir, comm traffic is insane and a lot of our buoys are out of commission."

Ducking out of the cold wet and into the comm hub was like passing from freezer to oven. Old Fort Lewis had been mostly stripped bare when the facility moved, and the only equipment they had was what forces had managed to salvage or happened to have with them when the attack came. As he stepped inside, the young private pointed him to a prominent display, where a familiar face hovered.

"Admiral Chau, good to see you in one piece," Anderson greeted. "Have you managed to set up communications with the Fleet or Alliance Command? What's your sitrep?"

"_We have communication with the Fleet and spotty communication with Command,"_ Chau responded. _"We can report that the Second Fleet has been completely decimated, but the Third and the Fifth remain in force. I have spoken with Admiral Hackett and he told me that Commander Shepard has been field promoted to captain, and is attempting to rally reinforcements from the other species?"_

"That is correct, I gave Shepard command of the _Normandy_ and by now she's probably at the Citadel hanging a few delegates up by their heels to get us aid."

"_Good. We're still trying to firm our communications grid as you are, but intel so far suggests these things are focusing on major population areas…and they don't seem to be in a hurry to move elsewhere, which is to our advantage. What orders have come through are world-wide: get out of the cities and major metropolitan areas, gather as many refugees and resources as you can, set up communications, and await further instructions. You are at Old Fort Lewis?"_

"Yes, it should suit us for a few days, especially if the Reapers continue to focus on the cities. I'd rather keep on the move, however…sooner or later a gathering this large is going to draw unwanted attention and it would only take a single one of those big ships to wipe out the lot of us. Do we have an estimate of our casualties?"

"_Not full, but we are projecting millions gone worldwide in just these first twenty-four…there's no way to be certain just yet. It is believed that Palaven as well is under similar attack, but we have no way to verify these reports. It could be this threat is already at every home world in Council space. I've…I've never seen anything like this, David. No one has."_

"_Someone_ has," he answered. "And she's been trying to warn us about it for years."

"_Yes, I suppose that is true. We can only pray she's able to bring us aid. In the mean time, do you think you can get your group over the mountains?"_

"Possibly, why?"

"_The eastern half of the state is less densely populated and so far the only city to come under attack past the mountains is Spokane. More, we had a full infantry battalion under command of Colonel Louisa Vinberg, that was on practice maneuvers outside Yakima. They have two full mobile command centers and about forty heavy anti-personnel vehicles, as well as eleven hundred soldiers. I spoke not an hour ago with the battalion's adjutant and they have suffered only minor casualties against thin Reaper ground forces…they are more or less full strength and readiness. If you can get your people over the mountains, Vinberg stands ready to fall under your command."_

"We can't pass up that much force, most of our number here are civvies. Some are willing to fight but they're not trained soldiers. That battalion could mean saving or losing half the state. We'll find our way across and rendezvous with Vinberg once we have regrouped."

"_Someone from our forces here will check in on this frequency every hour, Admiral,"_ Chau concluded. _"We'll let AC and the Fleet know that you're alive and your plans. Orders may change soon but right now, all we can do is survive and amass as much as we can, gather intel and dig in solid until reinforcements come. I'll see to it that Hackett, Barrett, and Vinberg all know how to get in touch with you. Hang in there, Admiral. Chau out."_

* * *

"It is good to see you are all right, Garrus," Liara declared, relieved, as they made it back into the compound. "When we heard about Palaven, well..."

He nodded. "Same when I heard about Earth," he replied, pausing as he looked upward toward a Reaper looming on the distant horizon. "I see them and still can't believe it. All this time, all our work to try and get people to see the truth…it's like watching your nightmares come true."

"Reapers have nightmares too, Vakarian," Del reminded him with a slap to the shoulder. "I'm pretty sure you figure prominently into them."

He chuckled, giving her a dry look. "Here's hoping, right? At any rate, I sure am glad that you're out of stir and on the front lines with the rest of us. No one I'd rather have at my back."

"At your _back_?" Shepard smirked. "Seems to me I'm usually in _front_, Garrus."

"Yes, well, _someone_ has to watch your ass, especially after-"

"Don't," she warned with a chuckle.

_Get shot in the ass once and no one ever lets you forget about it._

As they approached the shelter, Corinthus glanced up and waved them over.

"Vakarian, sir," he greeted with a nod. As Del and Liara both glanced at him with twin expressions of surprise, Garrus coughed lightly.

"It's just an honorific," he said hurriedly. "I'm just sort of an advisor…"

"Captain Shepard, comms are back up and we were able to get word from HC. We have the name of our new Primarch and luckily, he's even on Menae. General Adrien Victus."

"Victus? Oh, he's going to hate _that_…" Garrus mumbled. Shepard looked at him.

"Friend of yours?"

"I was fighting with him just this morning, not too far from here. Good man but he's no diplomat and he'd be the first to tell you that."

"I'm no diplomat either," Shepard pointed out. "So long as he can get the job done and is willing to call our summit I'll take him. Where is he?"

"His men were entrenched east of here when I left him," Garrus said, and Corinthus nodded.

"We haven't got any reports that he's shifted position but reports on this moon are spotty at best, as you well know. If he's not still there he's likely left a rear-guard that can direct you."

"I can take you straight there, Shepard," Garrus offered.

"Sounds good to me," she said, then touched her radio. "Vega, off the wall. We're leaving the compound."

_{Roger that,}_ he replied, and as the trio neared the gate, he trotted up, saluting. "We got a fix on that Primarch?"

"That we do," she answered. "Vega, this is Garrus Vakarian, an old friend of ours. Garrus, this is Lt. James Vega from my crew."

"Good to meet you," Vega answered with a nod.

"Likewise," Garrus responded.

They readied weapons as the gate started open. "We don't have far to go but it's going to be hot the entire way," Shepard told them. "Time to earn those paychecks."

* * *

The scene unfocused slightly before clarifying into bright detail, the scope of the Widow making every miniscule crack and fissure in the rock-face stand out with almost hyperactive clarity. Panning slowly to the right, she fixed on the forms she could see moving in the distance.

"I've got them, about two klicks still further on, just northwest of here," Shepard reported. "They're hard pressed on their right flank but holding. Field between seems clear for now. If we double-time it we should get across without getting tangled."

She lifted her face-plate from the scope, moving to push herself up from her perch, and noticed the turian beside her was looking upward. Following his gaze toward Palaven she murmured gently, "You ok, Garrus?"

"That blaze of orange there? That big one?" he asked, pointing out an ember of light that had to be cast from an out of control fire possibly hundreds of miles in circumference. "That's where I was born."

"Family?" she asked softly.

"Father, and a sister," he told her. "They're…they're probably all right. A general evacuation of the cities was called when the Reapers first landed."

"I'm sure they're safe," Shepard told him, though she didn't feel sure at all. Reaching out she gripped his shoulder-pad affectionately. "And we're going to _keep_ them that way, right?"

"You bet your ass we are," he replied, clearing his throat and then pushing himself up as well. They clambered down the ridge to where Vega and Liara were waiting.

"We've got an open run over that field but it scopes clear for now. Move fast, keep tight, and eyes peeled. Our target is just past that ridge to the north."

They started off at a jog, weapons ready, more than aware of the lack of cover. Their luck, however, was not to last. A small turian fighter, pursued by one of the dragon-like synths, suddenly wheeled down low and hot over the plain, the vehicle shedding flame and shards of metal and trailing a plume of smoke. It whipped by not a dozen feet overhead, banking far too sharply. The edge of one wing caught on the ground and instantly the fighter was in a tumble, flying apart and collapsing in a ruin.

As the dragon passed overhead, the four of them opened fire on it, trying to distract it or drop it and give the fighter a chance, but the effort was futile. As the fighter crashed, the dragon wheeled around and returned on its trajectory, right for them.

"_Move!_" Shepard barked, and the four scattered just as a cough of plasma from its malformed head erupted the dirt where they'd been standing. Rocks and debris pelted her shields as she whirled and opened fire on the beast, the dragon struggling to regain some altitude and already banking for another attack.

An aura of blue light swelled around Liara's hands as she braced herself, enveloping the creature's head with her biotics and then tearing her hands suddenly downward. The force of the dark energy yanked the dragon's head down just as sharply, its momentum continuing to carry its body forward until it tumbled, somersaulting and slamming into the dirt and rock.

As the three soldiers rushed forward, bearing down on the thing with their weapons fire, it thrashed, struggling to get up. Another biotic wrench and a wing tore off, its flailing limbs slashing impotently at empty air as it writhed and bucked, trying to right itself. A bubble formed, lifting it helplessly into the air. Seconds later it was dead, its head wrenched forcibly around and all but devastated with rifle-shot.

Liara let it drop with a glare, panting slightly as she dusted her hands off on her hips. Shepard planted a boot on the shuddering thing's neck, surveying the ruin. Though the guns had done their fair share of damage, it was the biotics that had honestly done the monster in.

Looking over at Liara she grinned. "Fuckin' _A_, Tianlán! _Marry me!_"

Liara chuckled wearily. "I'm not even sure I _like_ you yet," she teased right back, and Shepard barked a laugh.

* * *

"Sir, we have movement around the ridge! Looks like four, armed!"

"They husks?"

"No sir, but only one seems to be turian."

"If they're not husks I'll take them," Victus retorted. "Let them through."

The soldier vanished, and a few minutes later the four strangers were heading over to them. The one that had stripes on her shoulder-pads along with an N7 designation ordered the other three to help the turians driving back a swarm of husks and approached him alone. It took him a moment to remember Alliance rank designations and realize that her stripes meant she was a captain, and the N7 designation meant she had received the highest form of specialist training.

"Captain, I'm not going to argue with the help but I'm a little puzzled as to why you're here," he told her as she came up. "Earth is under attack just as Palaven…I doubt your Fleets sent reinforcements to bolster our line. I doubt they can _afford _them."

"They can't, General, and that's part of the reason I'm here," she replied. "Captain Del Shepard, sir."

"Shepard?" he lifted his brows. "Now I really _am_ curious."

"You're the new Primarch, sir. Fedorian was killed and HC tells me you're it. I'm here to get you off of Menae."

He stopped a moment, going still as he stared at her. "I'm…the new Primarch?"

"So I'm told, sir," she replied. He blinked, then shook his head sharply.

"_No_. Not interested. Let someone else play diplomat. I've got troops here and my home world is under attack. I'm not going anywhere."

"Sir, I understand how you feel, but you are the only person who can call a summit to address the Reaper threat. The races _need_ to work together or we're never going to be able to halt or win this war. If we can get all the fleets across the galaxy to mobilize to a single cause we have a chance at beating this thing…the _only _chance we might have. To be honest, I'd rather you than any diplomat I know. You're a soldier. You know what duty and honor means, and you care about every single life fighting and dying, here on this moon and across the face of Palaven."

He frowned thoughtfully, and she could see his eyes shift, moving over the soldiers fighting at the barricade, the smoldering silhouette of his home world in a starry sky alive with thousands of turian ships struggling to gain a foot-hold.

"I know how you feel," Shepard told him quietly. "Leaving Earth was…I would never have done it, if I didn't have something to hope for. We have a blue-print for what promises to be a weapon that just _might_ stop the Reapers in their tracks, but we need time and we need resources to build it. We _need_ _this summit,_ General. The Reapers want us to burn, isolated and alone. Divide and conquer…I needn't remind you of that."

"If I leave there's a good chance we lose this moon," he stated.

"If you don't, there's a good chance we lose everything," she replied. His eyes moved to hers, stoic and grim.

"I'm a soldier, Shepard. I was born a soldier, and I'll die a soldier. There's a lot of people out there who don't care much for what you say, or what you do…hell, most folk don't care much the same for me. Like any animal I _know_ my own kind when I see it…and you are as much a soldier as I am. If you were anyone else asking this of me, this conversation would already be over. But _you_…all right. If you say it's a chance worth taking, that it's the best shot at saving our people, then all right. Let's call your summit."

* * *

Nan was lingering in the mess when Liara walked in, talking with a small group of people. Liara could not help a small smile that crossed her lips at the sight.

People of _all_ species, it seemed, trusted Nan easily. She had long ago perfected the art of listening…a talent necessary in a difficult job dealing with traumatized children and teenagers. She had a way about her of putting people at ease almost instantly, and while she could be stern and unyielding when she needed to be, her motivations were always the fruit of compassion and sympathy.

Not wanting to interrupt, the asari lingered patiently nearby. Nan spotted her quickly, of course, and after a moment excused herself from the group and headed over. The pair hugged tightly, the older woman then holding Liara at arms' length as if to scrutinize a daughter long missed.

"I am _so_ glad you are here," she announced. "Where is Del?"

"The captain is in the War Room with Primarch Victus, working out the logistics of this hoped summit. The Primarch was understandably reluctant to leave his home in such a state…as was Garrus."

"The turian that went past toward the battery," Nan nodded. "Yes, I can understand that. Do you have a moment, dear, or are you off on some important errand?"

"I have a moment," Liara responded. "We can talk privately in my offices if that is what you wish."

She guided Nan into the old XO office, both women enveloped in the light of a dozen different displays. Nan seemed charmed by Glyph, who greeted them politely before informing Liara she had a dozen different messages.

"They will wait a bit longer," she reassured at the human woman's hesitant expression. "Please, come and sit. Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, no dear, I'm all right," Nan said, taking a chair. She looked seriously at the asari as she seated herself nearby, leaning forward enough to lay her hand over Liara's. "Has she told you yet? About…?"

Something hardened in Liara's normally soft sky blue eyes, and before she could even speak Nan knew the answer to her question.

"About Wyatt?" the asari murmured softly, that same steel from her eyes tensing the edges of her voice. "Yes. She…_showed_ me, what he did."

Nan nodded grimly, sighing. "I'm _worried_ about that girl, Liara. Enduring that-…and now all this with the war? You know her as well as I…_better_, even. You know she'll fight and fight, even if she ends up tearing herself apart. She's strong, but she's not super-human. Eventually even Del will reach her limits and I'm…I'm afraid she's desperately close to them now. I know that asking her to step down, to move away from this path is not an option. She'd never agree to it and I honestly think that she's the only thing standing between us and those dark abominations. At the same time, I may not have borne her but she _is_ my baby. I hate to see her suffering, _hurting_ so."

"As do I," Liara replied sadly.

Nan squeezed her hand. "This galaxy is relying on her, sweetheart, but she _can't_ do this. She can't, not without _you_. I know I don't have to ask it of you but you _need_ to be there for her. She can't let any of this out, not in front of the others. She has to give them hope, confidence. She has to be a soldier, their rock to lean on. But she's human too, and if she doesn't have some help she _will_ shatter into pieces, and then we are _all_ lost. Things are going to get so hard…so much _harder_, Li. She'll rant and rave and scream and even fight you, but you can't give up on her, you can't shut her out."

Leaning forward a little, Liara lay her free hand over Nan's, her expression intent. "I will _never_," she said with firm conviction. "I love her, and as strong as she needs me to be, I _will be_."

"Oh, honey, I'm _so_ glad she has you. Have I said that yet?" Nan asked with a smile. Liara returned it, chuckling softly.

"A few times, yes. I am also glad that she has _you_, Nan. When she found out what Cerberus had done…when we _both_ found out-"

"That's over with," Nan told her. "Done. There's enough on our plates and enough coming in the future to worry too much about things past. I'm all right. They didn't win, and these Reapers aren't going to win either. Del will send them crying back to dark space, believe you me, and she'll show Cerberus just what happens when you think you can hurt the innocent and the helpless."

* * *

"You're _sure_ this is safe?" Deirdre asked, her slim blue fingers sliding into Sydney's hand, the human gripping them tightly.

The asari had returned only that morning, to find that Mordin wanted to try something with Sydney. He was utterly convinced in his theory of subharmonics and ultrasonic sound influencing the unconscious centers of the brain, and wanted to test his hypothesis. Sydney, naturally, was all for anything that even stood a _chance_ at helping, but her asari partner was a bit more hesitant.

The chair was bad enough, to Navis's mind. Sydney was shackled and strapped in like a prisoner about to undergo primitive electrical execution. Knowing that whatever Mordin was about to do was going to mess with her mind as well only added to her anxiety.

"Certainty in any scenario impossible," Mordin replied to her question, making his adjustments. "However risk minimal. Worst case, simply will do nothing, no change."

"I'll be _fine_, Deeds," Sydney said softly, shifting her amber eyes to look at the other woman. "And if it gives us the answers we need-"

"I know, I just…"

"I know."

"Will have to step away," Solus told Navis gently. "Must restrain from physical contact during test, but can remain in observance."

Reluctantly, Deirdre stepped back a pace or two, removing her hand from Syd's and almost immediately folding her arms, her posture betraying her worry. Sydney took a deep breath, trying to steady her own nerves, and looked toward the salarian.

"You doing ok, Professor?" she asked. "You're looking a little weary around the edges."

"Lots to do, little time for sleep," he told her. "Lost two more this morning in other project…saddening. Also, not as young as I used to be. Will be fine, no worries."

"Lost two…not Eve's sisters?"

"Yes," he replied softly. "Eve is…troubled."

She closed her eyes in sympathy a moment. "I want to talk to her," she urged. "After this test."

"She would like that, I think," he told her. "Hopefully, will have good news to share. Settings concluded. Should not hear anything consciously, resonance and frequency above normal organic pick-up. Sound waves focused to your ears directly but…will wear ear-plugs to avoid side-effects. Will still hear you, just may have to shout."

He offered Deirdre a set of plugs, before picking up the seals for his own ears.

"Will I feel anything?" Sydney asked nervously. "See anything?"

"Possibly. Will remain conscious, signal for any strong, unpleasant sensation: nausea, vertigo, pain in head or chest. Will stop program immediately. Otherwise, five minutes."

"Ok. Five minutes isn't so bad."

He pasted off his canals and put his hand on the controls. "Ready?"

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before nodding her head as best she could, giving him a thumbs-up. He nodded once, then touched the control.

At first it was only a faint buzz, felt but not heard, that seemed to tingle along her skin. The sensation was strange but not altogether unpleasant and so she simply sat, waiting for something else to happen. As he'd said, she couldn't hear anything really. Beyond the faint tingle on her skin and the mild taste of metal on her tongue, she felt just as she had the moment before he'd activated the console.

Inclining his head, Mordin gave her a questioning look. "Anything?"

She shrugged and shook her head.

"I will try increasing the wavelength slightly," he told her, and made an adjustment. The tingle increased, the now potent taste of copper on her tongue. She licked her lips lightly.

_Pretty, yes? You see? _

She blinked, then blinked again. Her eyes went wide.

_Sydney looked distastefully at the vorcha who grinned up at her, the pendant dangling on a chain between its grotesquely long spread fingers. Its bloodshot eyes were flashing and keen, and its skin seemed oddly greasy. _

"_Not interested," she told it grumpily._

"Something…something's happening," she whispered, a little alarmed. Deirdre started forward a pace but Mordin held out his hand toward her, eyes fixed on Sydney.

"Describe," he urged.

"I'm…memories, I think. There's a vorcha-"

"_Very valuable, yes?" the vorcha insisted, pursuing her as she wove her way through the market. Damned little thing wouldn't leave her alone! "Buy for four credits, sell for a hundred! Quick money, you need quick money, yes?"_

_She paused, narrowing her eyes at the persistent imp. "Why would you think I need quick money?"_

"_Heard you talking, trying to sell pistol," he chortled. "Stranded unless you get money for shuttle to Omega, oh yes. Kegg hears. Kegg needs money too. Four credits for pretty pendant. Stole from dig, very old…very valuable. You sell for hundred credits, you get shuttle to Omega!"_

"The pendant, the damn pendant-"

"What? What is she saying?" Deirdre asked, hands questing up as she fought the urge to remove her ear-plugs.

Sydney's hands lifted sharply, her wrists snapping her shackles taut. Her amber eyes were wide and unseeing, her breath suddenly catching in her chest.

_Sydney._

"The goddamn pendant, that filthy little vorcha!"

_Sydney._

"Turn it off! Turn it off!"

_Kill them all. They do not understand._

"_Turn it off!" _

Mordin immediately went to the controls, fingers flying to end the program as the human woman hauled on her restraints, struggling to break free. The instant he got the signal shut off she slumped, panting and gasping. Deirdre all but ripped the plugs out of her ears, rushing to her side and dropping to her knees, cupping her face.

"_Syd_…sweetheart?"

"I'm…ok, it's ok…" she managed.

"You are _not_ ok! You are sweating-"

"What happened?" Mordin asked, moving over but making no effort to shoo Deeds away.

"I saw…memories, I think, at first…" Sydney told him, trembling a bit. She lifted her eyes a little as the asari wiped the hair back away from her face. "Memories, but…but I don't _remember_ them at the same time-"

"Describe."

"I was in a market. I needed money to get to Omega. There was a vorcha, following me around. It had a pendant of some kind that it wanted me to buy, kept insisting I could just turn around and resell it to get the money I needed."

"Did you see pendant? Can you describe?" the salarian pressed. Deirdre looked at him sharply.

"Can't you give her a minute? Do you need to grill her now?"

"Yes," he blinked. "Memories undoubtedly suppressed, from missing time span. Could fade in seconds, need details now before they are gone."

"I'm ok, Deeds," Sydney murmured. "I…can't quite remember the pendant. About…an inch or two in length, like a chunk of obsidian in a…a….oblong shape? Faceted ends. Dig…the vorcha said that it had stolen it from a dig site and…the vorcha looked…kind of ill. I remember thinking it was odd because vorcha don't _get _sick, not like we do but…it's…I don't remember."

"Stolen from dig site," he pondered, raising his fingers thoughtfully to his mouth. "Possible Reaper tech, unearthed and then stolen by scavenger. Vorcha ill, could be suffering indoctrination, possibly effects adaptative physiology differently, vorcha unique. Did you buy pendant?"

"I don't remember," she said. "I…don't _think_ so."

"Hmm. Must have. If did not buy, had prolonged contact at some point-…if artifact too powerful, would have indoctrinated everyone in market. Too weak and such brief exposure would have had no effect on you. Puzzling. Well. Subharmonic frequency good at unlocking blocked memory, at least. May try again later, small intervals, piece together full events perhaps. Give us more answers."

"It did more than that," Sydney told him. "At the end it was like…I could hear a voice, in my head. I could hear it saying my name. It was there but it wasn't and…it said they would never understand. Said I had to kill them because they would never understand."

"Ah!" Mordin beamed a triumphant grin. "_Good_! Result I had hoped for! Found frequency of Reaper ultrasonic alterations! Proof that indoctrination at initial stages based on sound! _Excellent!_"

"The only thing 'excellent' I want to hear is that you can fix this!" Deirdre snapped.

"Unknown, but far closer to possibility now," Mordin told her. "Should be case of simple counter-frequency. Once cause known, repair possible. More tests needed, must fine-tune effects, verify findings. Not immediately, traumatic…can't push to far, would have unwanted results. She needs rest, recuperation, time to absorb and settle."

Reaching out, he put a hand on Sydney's arm. "Will return you to room, Deeds may go with you. Be happy…"

"Happy?" she asked wearily, and he smiled.

"Yes. Found key for door. Now just have to unlock it."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for the slight shortness of the chapter, time got away from me. I have also updated my profile with some new and hopefully exciting information so please, peruse at your convenience, and feel free to message me your thoughts.

On we go!

* * *

"The long and short of it is, Captain, that unless the pressure can be taken off of Palaven, we can't help Earth."

Victus's face was painted in the glow of the central console in the War Room, the artificial lights making his clan markings stand out in almost ghastly relief. Del sighed, scrubbing a hand over her face.

"We can't take the pressure off Palaven unless the situation at Earth is relieved. We can't relieve the situation at Earth until the pressure is off Palaven," she bemoaned. "Even _more_ reason we need this summit. The asari and salarian home worlds are not yet under attack. If we can get their help, maybe we can turn the tide on our own shores and get this Crucible built before the Reapers can hit them."

"Fear will keep them securing their own borders. They're going to turtle up, you know that as well as I," he said, meeting her eyes. "What we _need_ is the krogan."

Shepard straightened a little, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Tuchanka and the DMZ is largely untouched by Reaper forces thus far, according to intelligence. They have no ships but they have the manpower and the sheer brute force."

"If we could get the krogan dirt-side on Palaven, get them hitting hard along with my people, that should shift the balance enough for us to be able to commit resources to your Crucible and possibly even ships to take fire off of Earth," he said. "Getting the krogan to cooperate is the hard part. They hold no love for us, or for the salarians, not after the genophage. I don't see how we have any chance to get them to consider showing up at a summit."

"Can hardly blame them," Del replied, "They saved everyone else once upon a time and got infected with the genophage as a reward."

"A necessary step, but the cost is dear now, I agree."

Shepard lifted her eyes. "EDI, contact Tuchanka. Main console."

"_Yes, Shepard."_

Victus stiffened, lowering his arms. "Captain, even if you can get through to a clan leader, I don't think-"

"Contact established." EDI interrupted, and a shimmering form appeared over the middle console.

"_Shepard!"_ Wrex greeted happily. _"I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up. Big battles brewing, unstoppable enemies…sure as flies to varren shit I knew you'd come circling."_

"I don't know whether or not I should be insulted by that comparison, Wrex," she snorted, and he barked a laugh, then hmmed with a wave of his hand.

"_So, I heard about Earth. Bad business."_

"Bad business that's going to spread everywhere else, Wrex. Even to Tuchanka."

"_Don't I know it. I've been trying to get every damn krogan from here to the Traverse back to Tuchanka, before the Reapers come knocking on our door."_

"We're not going to let that happen," Del told him.

"_Anyone else saying that and I'd laugh in their face,"_ he rumbled. _"What are you thinking?"_

"We need to work together. Earth and Palaven are in deep, our people are dying. Very shortly, it's going to be the same on Sur'Kesh, Thessia, Tuchanka…every home world and colony across the galaxy. I'm here with the Primarch of Palaven. We're putting together a summit to pool our resources and address the Reaper threat en masse."

"_And you want the krogan there?"_ Wrex blurted, disbelieving. _"Rubbing shoulders with the salarians and the turians? Why should we?"_

"I'm not asking you to be there for _them_, Wrex. I'm asking you to be there for _me_. Earth needs Palaven's fleets, Palaven needs the krogan's muscle. You've seen these things. You _know_ what we're up against. You know even the krogan can't stand against this alone."

"_We could, if we weren't all neutered,"_ he growled pointedly.

"Wrex, you _know_ I'm on your side," Shepard told him. "I've _always_ been on your side. All I'm asking is for you to come to the summit, meet with the other delegates. Let's figure something out that's beneficial to _all_ parties."

"_That benefit is going to have to be pretty big to get me to even __**consider **__helping the turians,"_ he warned her, then rubbed his hand over his mouth. _"All right. Give me the time and coordinates of your little summit. I'll come because it's you asking, and because until we get our little wager square I can't have you running off to die on me. Oh!"_

He pointed at her, scowling. _"I won't meet anywhere but on the _Normandy_. I'm not setting foot on some turian or salarian ship or world. The _Normandy_, or no deal."_

Shepard looked at Victus, who nodded with barely a pause, then shifted her gaze back to Wrex.

"Done," she said. "We'll transmit the meeting details as soon as we have them."

The big krogan nodded. _"All right then. I'm not holding out much hope, but we'll be there. Wrex out."_

As the image faded, the Primarch inclined his head. "I'm starting to see where you got your reputation, Captain Shepard. I would have thought getting Urdnot Wrex to the summit would have been all but impossible."

"I don't like the word 'impossible,'" Shepard retorted. "Wrex and I are old friends."

"So I gathered. I'm curious as to his mention of a wager-…?"

She smirked tiredly. "We still need to sort out who would win a fist-fight between the two of us."

He blinked. "No offense, but I'm pretty sure I can guess the outcome."

She shrugged. "Last one came out in a draw."

Ignoring his shocked expression she drew up a display. "All right, so we have the krogan and the turians. Salarians are going to be tricky, especially with the krogan on board. The asari should be easier. What about the hanar, the elcor, and the volus?"

"I'm sure we could get delegates from all three on board, however their military force will be nominal at best."

"Possibly, but right now I'll take even nominal, and their other resources could go toward getting that Crucible complete. We're going to need _everything_, and sooner or later their worlds are going to come under attack too. They deserve a swift end to this war as much as anyone else."

"I was not trying to suggest otherwise," he replied, then nodded. "I will put in requests with their respective governments. What about the batarians?"

"No one's heard from the Hegemony in months. The batarians were the first ones hit when the Reapers came out of dark space. They've sustained devastating losses, and I doubt they have even a skeletal government left to them. I don't think there's a delegate left to find. Has there been any word on the quarian fleet?"

"Intel outside turian space was hard to come by on Menae. Last I heard the quarians were recalling their pilgrims and stockpiling supplies."

"I'll see if Liara can't locate them and get them word, see if they want to send a chair for the summit. They have the biggest fleet in the galaxy and more well-trained engineers than any other race can boast. They'd be a significant asset and out floating on their own they're exposed."

"Then we have our list of possible chairs, provided their governments are in agreement."

"Not quite," Shepard said quietly, selecting an image on her console and turning it to face him. "There is _one more_ _race_ to try and contact."

The Primarch's eyes reflected the shape hovering there, angular and insectile. His voice was a soft, troubled breath as he spoke two simple words.

"The _Rachni…?"_

* * *

Cortez's dark brown eyes shifted as they followed the form pacing the cargo deck, thin wisps of smoke filling the air, even from this distance, with the unmistakable scent of tobacco.

He hadn't pegged the captain for a smoker, certainly not for one that liked cigars. She'd been down here for the last half hour and hadn't stopped pacing and smoking that entire time. She'd barely even glanced at him when he'd greeted her, save for a half-hearted grunt when she'd walked past.

Like most of the new crew aboard ship, he had heard more than his fair share of stories about Del Shepard. He knew that some of the stories were fact and some simply legend, hear-say, or outright scandalous lie, but it was hard sometimes to draw that line between truth and fabrication. Though he knew she was as human as any of them, part of him couldn't help the tremble of nervousness, knowing he had _Delilah Shepard_, the Butcher of Torfan, the first human Spectre, _intergalactic legend_, striding around in his cargo bay like a varren with a toothache.

_Robert wouldn't have hesitated to go speak to her_, he thought, then let his eyes drop to his console again.

"What's on your mind, Estebán?" Vega asked, dropping some tools in the box nearby and wiping his hands off as he eyed Cortez. "You got something stirring up a storm in there, I can see."

"You couldn't see a fork if someone stabbed it in your nose," Cortez snorted with a smirk. Then he jerked his chin faintly toward the distant captain. "Just an unexpected guest."

"Oh, I see. You got a crush?" Vega folded his arms and canted his head, measuring the distant woman. "Wouldn't blame you. Woman is smoking, and I don't just mean that _cigar_. Got an edge like a razor, and I'll bet she can hold her Cerveza. I just thought you were on the other team, is all."

"I'm not even going to dignify that," Cortez told him.

"Yeah, well. Not a good idea anyway. Fraternization and all that, and I'm _pretty_ sure she could kill krogan with her teeth."

Cortez chuckled. "You shouldn't believe all the stories-"

"Oh, I'm talking from _experience_ here, pendejo," Vega asserted. "Down on Menae? I saw her take down this husk-thing the size of Wisconsin…with a _sword_. That katana she was carrying on her weapons pack? Who even _carries_ a sword anymore anyway? She didn't even hesitate, just _bam_…nerves of ice, man. I'm telling you. She's not human."

In the distance, the captain scrubbed out the last of her smoke and pitched the butt, before heading their direction, her face unreadable.

"Something else you should know about your captain, Lt. Vega," she called as she walked. "She's got _excellent _hearing."

"Oh, _shit_-"

"Don't worry about it, LT," she smirked as she drew to a halt, folding her arms. "I can kill krogan with my teeth, after all. A few words aren't going to hurt my delicate little feelings."

"Captain, ma'am, I was just…"

"Don't sweat it. You and I do need to have a _chat_, however. Just a friendly conversation between friends."

"Anything you say, ma'-"

"_Friendly _conversation, James. No captain, no LT…just Vega and Shepard."

"Uh…sure, Shepard. Ok." He scrutinized her a moment, then smirked, taking a chance. "You think you can talk and dance at the same time."

"Oy, here we go," Cortez mumbled. Del, on the other hand, grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh…I can _dance_."

* * *

"Hold still, Lieutenant," Chakwas urged, a breath before she snapped his nose back straight. James let out a faint grunt of pain, lifting a hand and rubbing at his reset proboscis as Helen picked up a binder, then swatted his hand away. "Don't touch."

"You are an evil, evil woman, Lola," Vega all but pouted at the smirking captain silently observing from a few feet away.

"_You're_ the one that wanted to dance, Vega," she pointed out. "I trust we have an understanding now?"

During their little sparring match, she'd given him a dressing down for crashing into the Cerberus shuttle at Deseado. He had protested, of course, that if he hadn't done so the data would have gotten off-world and they'd have lost it. She had pointed out how close he'd come to not only killing _her_, but Ashley and Liara as well, and he then found out just how protective she was over her crew…_especially_ the asari Broker. She had impressed upon him quite _firmly_ that you didn't endanger your team, and that the only reason she hadn't pitched him out an airlock was because his actions had, in fact, resulted in them saving the data.

"Yeah," he agreed, then carefully prodded his nose as Chakwas finished with it.

"I strongly suggest avoiding running into the captain's fist again, Lieutenant," she teased. He snorted at her with a smirk.

"Yeah, not exactly an experience I want to repeat, that's for sure."

Helen gave Del a wink, then discreetly retreated, leaving the pair alone.

"Look, you're a good man, James, and a good soldier," Shepard said seriously. "You've come a long way, you got a lot to fight for."

He nodded solemnly, then met her eyes. "Thanks, Lola."

She smirked. "Lola, huh? What is it with you and the nicknames anyway? I heard you call Cortez 'Estebán'."

He shrugged. "Sometimes people just don't look like their names you know? So I give them a new one, one that fits. Or are you telling me you really think you look like a 'Delilah'?"

She snorted. "Yeah, I _know_ I don't. But why _Lola_?"

"Had a best friend growing up. His sister's name was Lola. She was hot…and _dangerous_. Kicked ass, she did. Reminds me of you."

"Yeah, just _remember_ the 'ass-kicking' part, ok?"

"Trust me, I'm not going to forget that any time soon," he said, touching his nose again.

_{Uh…Captain? Captain Shepard, this is Traynor. Could you…could I see you a moment, up in the CIC?}_

"I'm on my way up, Traynor," Del replied, glancing upward a moment before looking at James. "We good?"

"Square on and five by," he nodded.

"Good, let's keep it that way, ok, Tiny?"

Vega snorted a laugh. "_Tiny_?"

"If the nickname fits!" she called back, the infirmary door sliding shut behind her.

* * *

_Ok, just be calm. No reason to be nervous. You're just…talking to your superior officer, that's all. She's just a person like everyone else. Just tell her what you found, and be calm, and-_

"Traynor?"

Samantha barely suppressed a faint squeal, jumping slightly and blinking at Del as if the woman had materialized out of nowhere. Immediately the Specialist felt her cheeks heat, her gut tying into a mortified knot.

"Captain! Sorry, I was just…I was distracted, I didn't-"

"It's ok, Traynor, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Shepard told her, holding up her hands. "It's my fault. Joker's wanted to tie a bell on me for years."

"Well, you…it's just…I suppose you have a very soft stride-"

_Shut up, Traynor, before you make even more of a fool of yourself!_

"Seems like," Del smirked. "You wanted to see me?"

"Oh! Yes. I…I think we might have a situation." She cleared her throat, focusing on her console. "Our QEC picked up an evacuation request from Grissom Academy not too long ago. Shortly afterward there was a reply from a turian S&R cruiser that they were on site and affecting the evac."

"Grissom is just _now_ calling for evac?"

"Most students were released shortly after the invasion at Earth and sent home, but it seems a few elected to remain behind with a skeletal staff," Traynor supplied.

"So what's the problem? If the turian cruiser is already there it sounds like they're good to go."

"Yes, so it would seem," Traynor responded. "However something seemed off about the turian signal to me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it so I had EDI run it through her security protocols, and it turns out, it's fake."

"Fake?" Shepard stiffened.

"Yes. According to EDI there's corruption in the secondary encryption, similar to a signal she says lured you into a Collector trap…?"

Shepard's face went dark. "Cerberus."

"That was EDI's conclusion as well. Captain, I think that Academy and those students are still in very real danger."

"I think you're right."

Striding to the galaxy map she drew up the appropriate system and selected the Academy. "Joker, you still on-duty?"

_{Was just about to log-off for down-time, Captain.}_

"Belay that, we need to get to Grissom Academy immediately. What's our ETA at top FTL?"

_{Just under ninety minutes, Captain.}_

"Good, get us there, and get some coffee. The _Normandy_ may have to do some fancy footwork when we arrive. I want that Academy scanned on long-range the moment it's in reach and a threat report, dong ma?"

_{Understood. Heading to the Academy now.}_

Gripping the rail of the promontory a moment, Shepard closed her eyes, feeling the fury bubbling inside her. The Reapers were here, the Earth under direct attack. Millions of people were dying, and Cerberus was _still_ forwarding its own agenda.

_How the Illusive Man can still delude himself into thinking he's doing this for the greater good of humanity is beyond me. I swear to __**fuck**__ if they've hurt a single child at that school…_

Straightening she stepped down off the promontory, looking at Traynor. "Good catch, Traynor," she said with a nod.

"I just…it was just luck, ma'am, a bit of intuition, I didn't really-"

Del stopped, fixing her with a look. "_Good catch_, Traynor," she repeated firmly, a faint smile on her face.

"Th-thank you, ma'am," she replied softly, ducking her head a little with a giddy grin.

"Buzz Garrus and Liara, make sure they haven't racked it yet. I'm going to need them suited and armed. Coordinate with Chakwas and see if we can't find room for these students or suitable transport to safe space. Make sure Helen is prepared for any injuries."

"Yes, ma'am," Traynor agreed. As Shepard headed toward the lift, however, the woman's voice halted her once again. "Um…ma'am?"

Del glanced back at her, lifting a brow.

"I…we haven't really gotten much chance to speak," Traynor told her, straightening to her full height and clasping her hands behind her back as if expecting a serious dressing down. "I just…I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Yes. I'm from Horizon, ma'am. Well, my folks were from London and then moved to the colony when I was small. I went back to London when I was fourteen to attend school. My family…well. I was on leave and at home during the Collector attack. I was _there_, Captain."

"Oh," Del murmured.

"I was near the outskirts when the attack came. You managed to stop them before they got that far. My…my grandfather, my two cousins-…"

She broke off, and Shepard looked at her sympathetically. "They were taken?" she surmised.

"No. You saved them. They were sealed into those…those boxes the Collectors were packing people in, and you got them out before they could load them aboard ship."

Shepard stared at her, a memory snapping into place. "Was one of your cousin's named Esmé?"

"Yes," Samantha replied. "She still tells stories about you, pulling her out of that box, telling her how brave she was. She calls you her 'angel', Captain…her angel that came down and saved them from the monsters. I wanted…I wanted to thank you for that, for her and my family, and for the chance you're giving me here on the _Normandy_. It's…it's more than an honor to be serving with you."

"The honor is all mine, Specialist," Shepard told her, saluting. Immediately, Traynor's hand snapped up as well as she returned it. Smiling, Del nodded. "Carry on."

"Yes, ma'am," Samantha replied, dropping her arm and turning back to her console. She waited until she heard the lift doors close before she finally let out the breath she'd been holding, gripping her slightly shaking hands and closing her eyes a moment. She didn't think that salute was something she was _ever_ going to forget.

_Good catch, Traynor._

A goofy little smile appeared momentarily on her lips before she schooled it. She had work to do.

* * *

Del glanced at Liara and Garrus as the two gathered their weapons from the nearby lockers, meeting the asari's eyes a moment before turning them to the display in front of her. "We got eyes-on, Joker?"

_{Ten-four, and it's not a pretty sight. We have a cruiser parked at the school. Traynor was right, it's Cerberus. I'm also showing half a dozen small fighters. We're not getting the _Normandy_ any closer without those things being all over us, and between them they got more than enough fire-power to make our day go very poorly.}_

_{Captain, if I may make a suggestion,}_ EDI interjected.

"Go ahead."

_{The shuttle has similar stealth technology to the _Normandy_. We can drop it here and use the ship to distract the Cerberus vessels. You should be able to get your team aboard through one of the airlocks opposite the cruiser's station. We are fast and maneuverable enough to keep out of danger and we can use the FTL to fall back to a secondary point and wait for your retrieval signal. I believe it is our best chance to get your team onto the station with a minimum of risk.}_

"Sounds like the best plan we got. Drop us here and stay nimble. I want a _Normandy_ to come back to."

_{Understood, Captain.}_

Picking up her helmet she turned and climbed aboard the shuttle, nodding to Cortez as he settled in the pilot's seat and warmed it up. "Hold still until those fighters are clear, then get us to that airlock as fast as you can."

"You got it, ma'am."

Sitting down on the bench beside Liara, Shepard gave her a wan smile, then looked over at Garrus. "How you holding up, Vakarian?"

"Taking it moment by moment," he admitted. "Trying to keep busy and keep my mind off of it, same as you I suppose."

"You get some rest?"

"A little. No worries, I'm focused and steady."

She bobbed her head, then looked back at Liara. "Tianlán?"

"Just as focused and steady," she assured. "Though this does seem a little strange to me."

"How so?"

"This Academy…having a school devoted to biotics. It is an interesting concept. In asari schools biotics are basic education, the same as math, writing, and philosophy. Though I know better, I grew up taking biotics so much for granted that I still sometimes forget the ability is new and relatively rare in humans. It is troubling to imagine what plans Cerberus might have in store for these students."

Shepard nodded, then sat back a bit. "Yeah, well…we're here to make sure those plans are ruined."

"_Normandy _is away, the fighters are following," Cortez reported. "Starting our run in to the station now."

"Keep it tight and frosty, Cortez," Shepard said, picking up her helmet and latching it on. "These assholes think they can one up the Alliance. We're about to show them differently."

"Aye ma'am, that we are."

* * *

"We've got a handful of students spread around the school, hiding in the crevices," the squad captain reported as he fell into step beside the stone-faced asari. Looming behind her, an ever-dour shadow, the dark form of Thug was inscrutable. "A small group of engineering students are holed up near the armory, and we've got a teacher and a bunch of biotics running around somewhere-"

"_Somewhere_? Is that your idea of precise intel…somewhere?" Eír asked moodily.

"They were last seen near the main hall," he said helplessly. "I will try and pinpoint an exact location-"

"Do not bother. Thug and I will head toward the main hall. You get to control and try and coax these students into cooperating. We do not want anyone hurt or killed unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Yes, ma'am."

He trotted off and she growled in frustration, drawing up her omni-tool and the map of the facility. "Looks like the three largest halls are in this direction."

_{Ma'am, Velento. We have an Alliance vessel that just sailed past. Our fighters are on it. LADAR is painting it as a frigate, ma'am…looks like the _Normandy_.}_

As the report filled her ear, Eír jolted to a halt as if she had collided with an energy field. Her heart actually seemed to pause in its beat a moment, before resuming, a dark and deadly excitement filling her lavender eyes.

"Shepard's here…" she whispered.

"Shepard's _dead_," Thug promised with a happy growl. Eír's smile grew.

"_Indeed."_


	13. Chapter 13

A/N:

Head's up guys! This is a holiday weekend so there will be no chapter on Monday. That said, and given where I leave this chapter off…just remember, if you kill me, you'll never know what happens. **smiles nervously and hopes that works**

Also, my first original fic-in-progress is going up this evening on fanfic net's sister site, fictionpress. I'm Melaradark over there as well so be sure to set your alerts if you're interested in following along. The original work will generally go up on weekends while DE will stay on a M-F schedule. The first fic is going to be titled 'Willem' and is a fantasy. The first bit is already written but subsequent chapters will be going up more or less 'live' just as DE does.

The link for my profile there is www (.) fictionpress (.) com (/) u(/) 843041 (/) Melaradark

Be sure to take out the parentheses and the spaces.

On to DE!

* * *

The woman that pointed the rifle at Shepard was older, her already pale blonde hair paling further into silver. She was still more than spry, however, and her light blue eyes held a hard edge in the moment before she realized it wasn't Cerberus agents at the door.

"Captain, _good_," she breathed, lowering the weapon and touching the console to allow the doors to fully open, admitting the team. As soon as they'd moved through, she sealed the door behind them again. "Kahlee Sanders. The school is almost completely over-run. I was sure help wasn't going to come. You can't _imagine _how relieved I was to hear your voice."

Shepard gestured at Garrus to cover the door, then took her helmet off as she perused the half-functioning consoles. "We're going to get your students out of here," Del reassured her. "You've got infrared up but only on half the station…?"

"Yes, Cerberus hacked into our mainframe. I've been able to get some of the security systems back online but I've been fighting their bots in the system the whole way. I can't track all their movements but we have a group of engineering students up near the armory, and one of our teachers is with her biotics class. They've been trying to talk them into surrendering, piping messages over the comm system, claiming Earth has been completely destroyed and Cerberus is their only hope to get out of here safely before the Reapers arrive."

Though Sanders sounded skeptical, there was a faint note of fear in her voice. Shepard looked around at her. "Earth _hasn't_ been destroyed," she reassured, and the blonde let out a tiny breath of relief.

"Why are there still students here?" Liara asked. "Why did they not leave?"

"They wanted to help," Sanders replied. "The engineers are some of our brightest minds, and the biotics have been training for dark energy artillery strikes, infantry troop support. Some of them don't really have family, and I couldn't refuse them."

"Patch into our comms and seal yourself in here again," Shepard told Sanders. "Keep trying to get the systems online and be our eyes in the sky if you can. We'll get the students and get them out to the shuttle."

"I will," Sanders agreed. "Oh, and…Captain? You are…you are friends with Admiral Anderson…?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"David and I met…oh, what's it been? Twenty years ago?" She shook her head. "We've been friends a long time. I was there when Saren betrayed him. I just…do you-"

"He's alive," Shepard reassured. "He's back on Earth coordinating resistance forces dirt-side."

Kahlee let out another breath of relief, slightly larger than the first one. "Thank God, I was worried. If you talk to him, tell him to _stay_ safe."

"I will," Del smiled slightly, amused at the woman's reaction.

_Anderson, you __**dog**__ you!_

"I'll let you out," the blonde said, accessing the security controls. "Oh, one last thing. On one of the vid feeds I did manage to access, I noticed both a krogan and an asari apparently coordinating the infiltration, so be advised."

Shepard halted, staring at her with incredulity. "A krogan and an _asari_? Working with _Cerberus_?"

"Yes," Sanders told her. "They were heading toward Orion Hall when I spotted them. That may be where our biotic students are bunkering."

"Cerberus is all about humanity," Garrus murmured. "Why would a krogan and an asari be working for them?"

"Is there any way you can call up that footage?" Shepard asked. Kahlee sat down with a nod, fingers flying over the controls a moment.

"I think I have…yes, here. The southwest corridor near the cafeteria."

The selected information played on the console, the pair striding along with a human man in a hard-suit emblazoned with Cerberus colors. There was no audio, and Shepard frowned, squinting at the image as Liara came up to her side. As the three moved, they drew closer to the camera, and the moment the image became clear, Liara gasped.

"_Eír! _She's _alive_!"

"You know them?"

Shepard nodded grimly, her jaw tight. "Eír and her brother Thug. This just went from bad to _worse_."

"I don't understand..."

"I'll fill you in later. For now, we need to move. If you see either of those two heading your way you _hide_. Don't try to engage them, you will _not_ win. We'll get down to Orion Hall and get those students clear."

"I'm adding the nav-point to your omni-tool, it's a fairly direct route," Sanders told her. "Good luck, Captain."

As they went to the door, Liara gripped Shepard's arm. "She's _alive_," she whispered. "I did not…oh, _Del,_ this is bad…"

"I don't know what she's doing with Cerberus, but she trusts you. Maybe you can talk to her-?"

"I do not think that will work," the asari replied. "Somehow Eír survived, but she had no want for war and I can only imagine one reason why she would be here, on the side of Cerberus."

Shepard met her eyes, seeing the barely masked terror behind the sky blue, and nodded. "Shrive _didn't_."

"Eír _already_ hates you, Shepard," Garrus shook his head, overhearing. "Thanks to Osco's manipulation. But if Shrive died on Aratoht, and if Eír knows that the destruction of the Alpha relay was your doing…"

"You cannot fight her," Liara ordered intently.

"I may not have a choice, Tianl-"

"_No!_ You _cannot_ fight her, Del! She is far too strong, and if she had an uncontrollable desire to kill you before, that will only be increased if Shrive did in fact die on Aratoht. She _will _kill you."

"So what am I supposed to do? We don't have a _choice_ here, Liara. We _have_ to get those students to safety. That's all that matters right now. I'm not going to run like a coward to save my own skin and leave these kids to whatever sick purpose Cerberus wants them for."

"Garrus and I can-"

"_No_, Tianlán. There's no guarantee you're any safer than I am. Now. We need to get to those _kids_. Sanders, get this door open."

The last was barked over Liara's shoulder as Del's temper tightened its hold. She couldn't stand to look at the expression on Liara's face, and hated herself for putting it there, but it really wasn't an option. She wasn't going to hide, and- powerful or not- if Eír tried to kill her she'd find Del wasn't exactly that _easy_ to get rid of.

* * *

The girl bolted across the smooth white floor as the asari and krogan strode into Orion Hall, darting for the stairs that led toward the upper level where a group of other teenagers was gathered. Barely had she started to run than she was suddenly snagged in a biotic bubble, the asari barely glancing at her even as she lifted her into the air.

Almost instantly, a nearby planter also lifted, sailing with violent force toward the pair as one of those above snarled, _"Put her down!"_

Eír biotically backhanded the planter away with barely a flick, eyes moving to this form. "Are you their teacher?"

"I _said_ put her down!"

"I want no harm to come to your students," Eír reassured. "She won't be harmed."

The human woman lit up with blue fire, leaping over the railing and drifting downward, dropping to the ground with a glare. Beneath a map of tattoos, muscles were bunched tightly, brown eyes murderous. "_**Put her down**_," she promised in a low whisper. "Or _you_ will be."

Looking bemused, the asari lowered the girl to the floor, the biotic shimmer vanishing. The tattooed woman straightened a little and looked at her. "Get your ass upstairs, Rodriguez!"

"But.."

"_Move!"_

The girl ran for the stairs to join her classmates as the human woman narrowed her gaze at the pair in front of her again. "You're going to leave these kids alone," she declared. "Or I will rip you to pieces, do you hear me?"

"It's like a _puppy_ barking," Thug grinned. "Are we supposed to be frightened?"

"Hey, _bone-head_, why don't you kiss my ass?"

"What's your name?" the asari asked almost pleasantly. The human woman glared.

"Jack."

The asari stiffened, brows lifting. "_Jack_…as in, Subject Zero?"

Jack growled, swinging an arm back as dark energy surged around her. "_Don't call me that_!" she spat, sending a wave of flame toward the pair as she darted towards them.

The asari moved a hand forward, fingers spread and then gracefully drawing inward as if plucking something and pulling it away. The wave of biotics seemed to surge along with the motion, sucking in toward the woman and then reflecting back. Jack barely had time to blink in shock before she was hit, blue lightning crackling over her skin even as she was hauled up into the air, suspended and paralyzed.

There were shouts from above, and Thug narrowed his eyes at the students. "Don't do anything stupid, kids, or she'll tear your teacher apart," he warned.

"How…how did you-" Jack gasped.

Eír drew her closer with a flick of her fingers, seeming to scrutinize the human woman's face thoughtfully. "We have the same mother," she said after a moment.

"I don't even _know_ my mother!" Jack retorted.

"I'm not talking about the silly little beast who pressed you from her womb," the asari sniffed. "I'm talking about your _true_ mother, the one who made you powerful…"

"_Osco,_" Jack grimaced. "You're Eír. I thought you were dead."

"So did many," Eír shrugged.

"That bitch was _not_ my mother. She was a crazy, sick-…_ah!_"

She cried out in pain as her arms and legs hauled to the sides and seemed to stretch, her joints creaking. Eír's lavender eyes had gone dangerous.

"Be _careful_, Jack," she cooed. "She made you powerful but you are _nothing _compared to me. I have no quarrel with you, or your students. I respect you, point of fact. As a sister, as _kin_. I suggest you do not change my mind on that."

"If you lay a _finger _on my kids I will _hunt you down_," Jack warned, eyes showing no fear, only determination. Eír smiled.

* * *

Crouched outside the side door to the Hall, the three from the _Normandy_ could see the goings-on. A dozen students or more were clustered on the balcony of the second level, tense and frightened expressions on their faces. Below, a woman was suspended in a biotic bubble, both Eír and Thug confronting her. The hair threw her off for a moment, but it wasn't long before Shepard realized with a jolt who the woman was.

_No, it can't be. Is that really…__**Jack?**_

"Ok, we have to get those kids out of there," she whispered to Liara and Garrus, thinking quickly as she glanced over the room. "I'm going to work my way over to that main entrance. You two stay here, stay silent. I'll get Eír and hopefully Thug as well away from there and when they leave, you two get those civvies clear."

She could feel the tension radiating off of Liara in waves, could sense a million protests that died on the asari's tongue, protests she didn't dare voice for risk of losing her grip on her fear altogether. Looking at her, Shepard did her best to soothe.

"I'll move fast," she promised. "They want _me_, not those kids. I'll lead them on a merry chase and with luck I'll meet you back on the shuttle before they get anywhere close to me."

"I know your brand of luck," Liara retorted softly. With them both locked down, she could not kiss Del, but that did not stop her from gripping hold of her helmet and pressing her face-plate to that of the human captain.

Shepard mimicked the motion, the two sitting that way only a moment, before Del pulled away and began to rise. As she did, Liara suddenly gripped her arm, standing along with her.

Thinking the asari was going to try and stop her, Shepard shook her head. "Li…"

She blinked as the woman instead pulled a pouch off the back of her belt and pressed it into her hands. Frowning, Del opened it and blinked at what was within.

"Well, you _did_ say to keep it with me," Liara reminded her. "I thought it might be useful."

Shepard grinned. "Tianlán, you are _fucking_ amazing."

Snapping the pouch to her belt she gripped her love's shoulder a moment, then nodded. "Wait until we're clear, then go."

* * *

"Thug, round up the students," Eír ordered the krogan. Jack, unable to move anything but her head, glared murder and the promise of hell-fire at the nonplussed krogan as he started toward the stairs.

Suddenly gunfire spat, shot flashing off of the krogan's barriers. He whirled, weapon ready as Eír's head snapped around toward the human woman that strode as bold as you please right in through the main doors.

"How about you don't fucking _touch_ them?" Shepard declared.

Thug's shotgun barked and Shepard darted to the side, the spray lighting up her shields. Instantly the bubble around Jack died and the woman dropped to the ground as Eír turned her attention fully on her adversary, a hate-filled and yet triumphant scream rushing out of her.

"_Shepard!"_

One of the large couches tore its way from the floor and sailed toward the human woman as Eír threw a fist forward. It crashed into the wall, narrowly missing the captain as she ran back through the door and into the corridor. Thug was already charging after her, but as Eír ran forward as well, the recovering Jack sent a biotic blast at her back.

The blow, unexpected, stumbled the asari, but she barely missed a beat before she whipped her arm back, dark energy tearing Jack off her feet and sending her slamming into the far wall as if she'd been shot from a cannon. As she crumpled, Eír pursued her brother out the door.

_Finally_, her prey was in her sights. She could feel her heart thundering with adrenaline, her very spirit seeming to tense in an orgy of anticipation.

The woman who had killed Benezia, who had killed _Shrive_, was finally in her grasp. She could almost taste blood, her lips peeling back into a feral grin.

_Flee, little rabbit, I am coming_, she thought. _I am coming for you!_

* * *

The instant the three were gone, Garrus and Liara rushed into the room. Seeing the students lighting up with biotics Garrus held his hands up, calling to them. "We're friends! We're with Captain Shepard!" he assured them. Liara, in the mean time, rushed right over to the crumpled form against the wall.

"Jack!"

The human groaned a bit as Liara dropped to her side, eyelashes fluttering. "The fuck hit me…?" she moaned.

"Eír's biotics," Liara replied. "Then the wall. Are you all right?"

"Arm's out," she grit, shifting herself up into a sit. Liara felt her arm, then nodded.

"Hold still."

Gripping her carefully, she wrenched. Jack cried out faintly through her clenched teeth as her shoulder popped back into place, then sighed. "Thanks. The kids…"

"They are fine," Liara assured. "Come, we have to get you out of here."

Getting to her feet, she helped the battered human up. Jack looked past her and then limped toward the stairs, regarding her students. "You guys all right?"

"We're fine!" A girl called down. "Are they…really safe?"

"Yeah, these two fu…uh…friends of mine are with Commander Shepard."

There was a flutter of surprise among the group as they exchanged looks. "That was really _the_ Commander Shepard?" one boy asked, eyes wide.

"That it was, Prangley, now shut your mouth before you catch flies. We have to move."

The awe didn't die as the three reached their side, the students staring at Garrus and Liara as if they were made of gold. Jack snapped her fingers tersely. "_C'mon_, get your heads together! We've got to _move_. Cerberus isn't going to stand around like a pack of pansies while you hero-worship! Grab your juice boxes and let's _go!_"

As the teens gathered their belongings, Jack looked at Liara. "Sanders said she was sending help. Didn't know it was going to be the Queen of the Girl Scouts and her Hometown Gang."

"We were not exactly expecting to see _you_ here either," Liara agreed. "We most definitely were not expecting Eír and Thug-"

"Yeah, what the hell is the Commander thinking?" Jack asked, looking toward the main door where Del had disappeared. "She knows she can't take those two on alone, right? That bitch barely broke a sweat and had me trussed up like Christmas, and Del's not even _biotic_-"

Liara fixed her with a look and Jack's mouth shut with an audible click. "Shit…sorry," she said softly. "I'm…sure she'll be fine, Blue. She's too fu-…uh…fully annoying to die. The Commander-"

"She's a Captain now," Liara said uselessly, her words sounding distant and hollow and pointless even as she spoke them. Stepping past Jack she went toward the upper door to make sure it was clear. She held no illusions that getting to the shuttle was going to be even remotely easy. What she _did_ know that any Cerberus agent that got in her way was going to _greatly_ regret it.

* * *

A chair shattered in an explosion of blue death as Shepard pelted past it, skidding around a corner. Her feet whipped out from beneath her, lassoed with dark energy as effectively as with a rope. Slamming to the ground she rolled and set gunfire roaring toward Thug's helmet. Distracted as his shields went down, the biotics loosened and she darted up and was off again.

"Sanders, can you hear me?" she panted frantically, turning down one hall after another. "I need direction!"

_{I read you! I've got most of the security cams up…I see you, Captain.}_

"_Where am I?_"

_{You're in the port wing, near the technical classrooms! When you reach the end of the hall, take a right, that will take you into the main workroom! It's large but there's a great deal of cover!}_

Del half slipped as she changed direction at the end of the hall, not daring to slow down even the slightest bit.

As she sprinted through the door and into the workroom something struck her back like a runaway MAKO. She barked in pain as she was lifted off her feet, sent careening. Her head and shoulder crashed against something hard. Sliding to a halt she didn't dare hesitate, even as she struggled to get air back into her lungs. Surging to her feet she quickly scrambled for some cover.

_{They're coming in, Captain,}_ Sanders warned.

"How far am I from the outer hull?" Shepard whispered back.

_{Right against it,}_ came the reply. _{The wall to nine o'clock.}_

Shepard risked a glance that way. "There an airlock in this room?"

_{Negative. Why? What are you thinking?}_

"_Bad_ thoughts," Del responded.

"_Where is she?"_ she heard Eír demand as she entered the room.

"Not sure. In here somewhere," Thug replied. "Don't see any other exits, she's got to be hiding."

"Are you a _coward_?" Eír cried out into the room. "The great Commander Shepard, hero and icon? Oh, I'm _sorry_, it's _Captain_ now, isn't it? You murdered my love and what happens? You _get promoted!"_

_That answers that_, Shepard thought, edging softly to the side, working her way carefully behind banks of maintenance equipment and work-benches toward the far wall. _Shrive __**did **__die on Aratoht._

"_Come out!"_ Eír bellowed, and a wave of blue slammed crates, equipment, and benches aside in a wide swath. Shepard ducked, narrowly avoiding a bench as it sailed past just over her head. Another sweep tore some stations off the wall and Del took a chance and ran closer to her target, dropping behind a loader as a rack of tools tore past.

"Come out!" Eír demanded again. Del pressed her back to the loader, gripping her rifle tightly. Her eyes passed the scattered tools, then moved toward the far wall again, before returning to the tools. She inclined her head a little, noticing the mag-handles laying in the mess.

Portable grips, they did exactly what their name suggested: you set them on any heavy metal object you wished to lift, activated the powerful magnets on the ends, and viola – instant handle that could carry a load of over a hundred kilos.

Sliding a foot out carefully, she hooked one of the handles with her boot and edged it over toward her, trying not to make a sound.

"You cannot hide from me forever, coward! Show yourself and I may even make your death quick…it's far more than you deserve!"

Gripping the handle, Shepard glanced at her HUD even as she hooked it into her belt and eased a grenade free. Being thrown hadn't compromised her suit. Cautiously she accessed her boot magnets, switching them to manual rather than automatic activation.

Del took a deep breath, hearing the boots crunching closer. As the loader she was leaning on began to shift, lighting with tongues of sapphire, Shepard bolted.

"_HA_!" Thug barked, spotting her. A shotgun blast tore past close enough to overload the last of her shields, sending the generator to beeping. Leaping into a slide, Shepard avoided the tumbling arm of the huge loader as it slashed past just overhead.

Reaching the far wall she slapped the grenade against it, adhering it to the hull even as she activated it. Immediately she charged to the side, hauling out both her pistol and the mag-handle and blindly sending shot toward krogan and asari. She wasn't planning on doing any damage, knowing full well the bullets would be deflected easily by their biotics. She only needed a second of distraction.

She grabbed hold of a tool rack that was bolted down just as the grenade detonated with a heavy whump. As if some unseen, giant hand had grabbed hold of it, a section of the hull suddenly tore away in the wake of the blast.

Instantly the room was filled with a rushing tempest as it started to decompress, exposed to the vacuum of space. Her feet were whipped out from under her with the force and almost the moment her body drew horizontal, she let go of her anchor.

It would only take a few seconds for the barriers to kick in and seal the breech. Shepard had to be out before that happened.

For a single heartbeat she saw Eír, the asari braced and anchoring herself to avoid being shot out into space, and then the torn bulkhead was whipping past her. Del's hand snapped out, the mag-handle tight in her grip. She slapped it against the outer hull just beside the rent and jerked to a sharp and painful halt as it locked into place. Gasping, shoulder burning at the jar it had just taken, she reactivated her boot-mags and pulled herself forward, planting them against the school's outer skin.

They clamped down, and she released the handle. She was now standing on the outside of the station, nothing but emptiness between her and the stars.

Moving as fast as she dared, she started up the slope away from the breech, only to blink as her HUD warned her of motion. Turning her head she stared as Thug slammed into the hull not a dozen yards beneath her.

* * *

Eír was startled by the explosion, instinct more than anything else causing her to snag hold of the heavy loader nearby as the room started to decompress. She gaped in horror as Thug, who was much closer than she was, tried to catch himself on the ragged edges of the breech and then lost his grip, sailing out into space. Not a second later, Shepard herself was blown out, the shimmer of the barrier appearing the breath after she had disappeared.

The wind instantly died, and Eír rushed toward the breech. _"Thug!"_

She spotted the tumbling krogan in the distance and flung her hand out. The barrier would deflect the energy of most normal biotics, allowing only a small portion through…but Eír's biotics were far from normal. She sent through an enormous wave, enough sailing free of the barrier to snag the tumbling krogan and halt him. She let out a breath of relief, thanking the Goddess that the boy was in full hard-suit with his helmet locked down. He would be more or less unharmed.

_At least Shepard is gone. At least she-_

A flash of motion drew her eye and she just caught sight of a boot lift and vanish from view. Her eyes locked on the mag-handle just outside the tear in the station and she snarled.

"_**Bitch!"**_

_{I see her! Let me at her!}_ Thug urged through her headset. Hauling her arm in, Eír guided her brother against the hull, releasing him as his own magnets took firm hold. She could not follow, lacking a helmet of her own.

"_Kill her!"_ she ordered the krogan. Turning, she strode toward the door, switching frequencies to the Cerberus fighters. "What's your position?"

_{We lost the frigate, heading back to the station now,}_ came the reply.

"Shepard is on the port wing hull outside the station! Thug is out there with her. _Take the bitch out_!"

_{Roger that, we're on it.}_

* * *

"Fuck," Del gasped as she saw the krogan hit the hull behind her. Yanking her second grenade off her belt she tossed it at him, hoping the blast would tear him free if nothing else, and continued on her way up the curve of the station. There was no sound of course, but she saw the momentary reflection of light in the shiny metal at her feet at the same instant her HUD reported the blast.

Not daring to look back, she was nonetheless unsurprised to feel the heavy biotic punch at the small of her back. Her _luck_, after all.

Her boots tore free of the hull and she sailed forward, gloved fingers reaching frantically for the smooth metal as her legs arced above her. For a moment she was suspended upside down, staring at the krogan moving up the hull behind her, before her momentum carried her on. Thanks to the slope of the station her back came down against metal again and she quickly slammed her feet down, reengaging the locks. Hauling herself up, her heart pounding, cold sweat trickling down her back, she reached the top of the slope, the glimmering vista of Grissom spread out in front of her.

_{Shepard, where…where are you? There's been an explosive decompression in the workroom and…I'm not understanding these readings?}_ Sanders gasped.

"I'm on the outside of the station!" Shepard called back.

_{The out…Captain, watch yourself! Those fighters are returning and they're heading toward your location!}_

Her HUD went crazy, and Shepard half turned, ducking down and winding her arms around her head as fire flashed out of the dark, fire spitting across the hull around her as a fighter sped past. One of his shots tore into the skin of the station deep enough to penetrate it, and for a moment a geyser of releasing atmosphere shot past her.

Hurrying awkwardly, she hunkered down beside a communications dish, hoping the venting gas masked her motion from Thug as the krogan made the top of the station as well. In the distance, she could see the fighters banking around again, readying another run.

"Sanders, I need to get back in the school as quickly as possible_,"_ she gasped frantically.

_{There's an airlock not too far from you, opens into attitude control. About…seven meters directly on an eleven o'clock heading.}_

"Roger that," Shepard replied, scanning for the lock. Spotting it she switched her frequency over. "Liara? Garrus? You there?"

_{Shepard! Are you all right?}_ Liara's voice filled her ear.

"I'm fine, Tianlán! What's your status?"

She ducked her head again as Thug worked out where she was, the communications dish suddenly ripping off its mooring in a wrench of dark energy, sending shards of metal and wiring spinning into nothingness. Surging forward Shepard started toward the lock, drawing her rifle and sending a barrage toward the krogan.

_{Cortez had to withdraw our shuttle, the fighters came back and targeted his position. We are heading toward the school's shuttle bay now but we are taking heavy fire. Cerberus is fighting us every step!}_

"Casualties?" Shepard demanded as the hull lit up again around her. The fighters had returned. One blazing shot snapped past so close to her face that her HUD went completely red for a moment. She wrenched, recoiling from it and trying to keep her feet planted, sending rifle shot after the vehicles as they whipped past.

_{The students are holding their own and are quite effective!}_ Liara replied. _{We have taken no serious injuries so far!}_

Shepard reached the airlock and gripped its wheel, hauling it hard. As it spun open, biotics hit her again, once more tearing her feet free of the hull. Her arm cramped as she struggled to maintain her hold on the wheel, the airlock hatch sailing open just as shotgun spray sailed toward her. Had it hit her in the helmet, as it was aimed, she would have been dead the next moment. Instead, it pelted into the metal lid of the lock as it snapped upward. Shepard hauled her rifle around and fired at the krogan boy, watching with fury as his biotics easily absorbed the shot.

Bending her knees, keeping hold of the wheel, she planted her feet on the hull again, watching Thug stride toward her. His face-mask was implacable of course, and she had no where left to go. She had to go around the hatch to get into the lock, but if she did that there would be nothing between the krogan and herself. The hatch was strong but she had no doubt in a moment his biotics would wrench it off its hinges and her right along with it.

"Liara, I'm _sorry_ babe," she heard herself say. "I love you. You get those kids safe!"

_{__**Shepard!**__}_ came the alarmed reply. _{What-}_

The rest of her words were lost as blazing wrath consumed all thought and sound.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Corrected some repetitive words and some typos. I was clearly tired when I did my reread.

* * *

Liara was impressed with how the students were handling the Cerberus agents, how they were working together to get through the station. More, she was impressed with _Jack_.

She seemed almost like an entirely different person than the Jack Liara had known. She still had her crass, hardened edge of course, but she had a definite affection for these students. She was patient with them (in an oddly pointed way, it was a strange mix), instructive and firm but never outright cruel or dismissive. If any one of them even remotely approached being in danger, Jack was there to intervene, throwing herself between her kid and the line of fire.

It reminded Liara, in fact, of _Del_.

_Seems you rub off on people more than you realize, Shepard,_ she thought.

Between the group of biotics and Garrus's firepower, their progress was steady if hard-pressed. Cerberus was _determined_ to get these kids. Fortunately, it also seemed as if they were determined not to _harm_ them, which worked to their advantage.

They had just cleared the atrium when a familiar and welcome voice filled her ear.

_{Liara? Garrus? You there?}_

"Shepard! Are you all right?" Liara answered instantly, even as Jack and Garrus turned to look at her, able to hear the captain over their connections as well.

_{I'm fine, Tianlán! What's your status?}_

She didn't _sound_ fine, she sounded tense, out of breath. A fluster of gunfire rattled down the hall, barriers suddenly flying up as the group ducked for various cover. A dozen Cerberus troops crowded the corridor's end where it T-headed. Liara drew up a heavy barrier over the crowd as Jack sent a thundering wave of energy toward the troops, forcing them to scatter.

"Cortez had to withdraw our shuttle, the fighters came back and targeted his position. We are heading toward the school's shuttle bay now but we are taking heavy fire. Cerberus is fighting us every step!" she reported.

_{Casualties?} _

Garrus dropped four as the students let out with a barrage of biotic blasts at Jack's commands, throwing the rest of the soldiers into various walls. Liara lifted her brows slightly.

"The students are holding their own and are quite effective!" Liara replied. "We have taken no serious injuries so far!"

Jack sent another biotic wave into the remnants of the Cerberus stand-off, Garrus moving ahead to put bullets into the heads of those still weakly moving on the ground. Satisfied the immediate danger was over, the turian cleared the hallway, then gestured for them to move on.

_We just might do this_, Liara thought. Getting the students to the shuttle and safe, she'd never had any doubts of. Things were tense but she, Garrus, and Jack had been in far more difficult spots before, and they had already nearly made their goal, with only a few scratches and some biotic strain.

Del facing off with Eír and Thug was another story. Though the woman sounded as if she was doing all right, she _also_ knew Shepard would hide the reality from Liara if she thought the asari might become alarmed, _especially_ in a situation like this. It could be that she _was_ truly fine, and that-

_{Liara, I'm __**sorry **__babe. I love you. You get those kids safe!}_

Instantly she felt her heart seem to stop, cold descending through her veins. Garrus looked back at her as she halted as if slamming into an invisible wall.

_Goddess, no-_

"_Shepard!" _she gasped. "What-"

A roar filled her earbud in a breath before it transformed into the heavy squeal and broken static of comm interference. She winced in pain at the sound of it, both Garrus and Jack hunching a little as well, hands automatically going to their ears. As the sound faded, Liara's face went pale.

"Shepard!"

The thin hum of static answered her.

"_Shepard! __**Answer**__ me!" _she tried again. The students were looking nervously at one another, Jack lightly touching the arm of one before she tried herself.

"Hey, Girl Scout! You're scaring the asari. _Answer_!"

Unbroken, hissing static.

Fingers shaking, Liara switched over to Sanders' frequency. "Sanders, this is Liara," she said. "We've lost contact with Shepard, do you have her position and status?"

_{This is Sanders. She was on the outer hull trying for the airlock into attitude control. I read impact detonation along that location, probably from the fighters. The airlock is on full lockdown which means the outside hatch has been destroyed and is open to space.}_

Liara looked like she was going to be sick, a hand plastering over her stomach a moment, her blue eyes shifting slightly, wide and shimmering.

"Liara," Garrus began, only to be interrupted by a sharp snap of the woman's hand, palm toward him in a universal 'hold' gesture as she addressed Sanders again.

"How far are we from the shuttles? Do you have an idea yet of the numbers between our current location and our destination?"

_{You're not far, looks like only a handful of Cerberus remaining.}_

"All right, I need a route map from here to attitude control."

"Liara!"

"Garrus, you and Jack get the students onto the shuttle. You are more than equipped to handle what's left of Cerberus. I am going to attitude control. Do not wait for me. Getting the students to safety is your top priority. If need be we will find an alternate route off the school."

"Liara, you _know_ how powerful Eír and Thug are," Garrus protested.

"I am _not_ leaving her behind, not if there is any hope," Liara said acerbically. "She would never leave one of _us_ and you know it, Garrus. Now _go_. We are running out of time."

Without waiting to see if he would argue, she turned and ran the other way, her omni-tool beeping as Sanders updated it with the new nav-point.

_I am coming, Del,_ she thought, fighting to keep her fear from getting the best of her.

* * *

It was strange, running through the empty school, and it seemed that she was on the exact opposite end as attitude control, with what felt like hundreds of miles of corridor between her and her destination. Every so often, she tried to contact Shepard again, only to get that empty hiss of static.

Each time she tried and failed, her heart started to break a little bit more, and she clamped down that much tighter on her fears. If she let them in, she'd break down, and if she did that, she'd be no help to anyone.

_If she is gone, it will not matter…_

_No. She would not give up on me, and I shall not give up on her. She's gotten through tougher things before. She is all right. You __**know**__ she is all right!_

She was trying to move as fast as she was able while being as cautious as possible. She was nearing her destination when Sanders contacted her and let her know the students had reached the shuttles, and she was heading that direction herself. Forcing herself to slow, to be careful, Liara shifted to a quick walk, her pistol in hand and keeping to the walls.

When it happened it happened so swiftly, Liara barely had time to react. She felt the surge of energy across her skin and whirled, pistol snapping up, a breath before she was weightless, lifted off the ground, her weapon torn from her hands. Her back and shoulders slammed into the wall with agonizing force, her air abandoning her as her vision flashed to white a moment. The tingle of biotics faded and she fell to the ground, crumpling weakly with a gasp.

Recoiling, she pushed herself back, trying to get to her feet as a hand swooped down, gripping her by the throat. She was lifted, pressed back hard against the wall. Eyes watering, Liara gripped the other asari's wrist. The woman's hand loosened enough to allow her to breath, but she didn't release her.

"_Eír…_"

"How could you love such a _monster_?" the younger girl demanded. Anger was in her expression but so was grief, heartbreak, misery. Liara could see the emotion moving through her lavender eyes, shadowy and painful.

"Eír, I am _so_ sorry about Shrive-"

"_Don't_!" the other asari threatened. "You do _not_ get to say her name! You do not get to speak about her! I wanted you to help me solve this anger that Mother gave me. Well, this anger is all my _own_ now, Liara. _That bitch murdered my Shrive_-!"

"And _this_ is what Shrive would want? This is how you honor her memory? _Listen_ to me." Liara wasn't struggling, wasn't even attempting to use her biotics. If her sister had wanted to kill her she'd have done it by now. Liara was hoping that she'd actually _listen_ instead. She knew the attempt was likely to be futile but…she had to at least _try_. This was her sister, a sister she had failed so spectacularly. The pain behind her eyes…_that_ was a pain that Li was far too familiar with. That was a pain she had suffered for two years.

It was a pain that could only be felt when love was torn away too soon.

"She tried to _help_ the colony, Eír," she said gently. "If she had not destroyed that relay, the Reapers would have used it to destroy _everything_ within days. What she did bought the entire galaxy valuable months worth of time-"

"Yeah, fat lot of good _that_ did," Eír retorted bitterly. "The Reapers are _here_, those months were squandered, millions are dying now…all because of _her_-!"

"It was _not_ her fault!" Liara insisted. "Aratoht would have been gone anyway. The Reapers would have swept through and destroyed the entire colony in a matter of hours. Shepard tried to warn them for an evacuation but she couldn't-"

"_I could have been __**home**__ in a matter of hours!" _Eír snarled, tears standing in her eyes. "I was _on my way home,_ damn you! Maybe I could have saved her, gotten her off-world, dodged the Reapers and escaped. Maybe I _couldn't_ have…but I would have _had that chance_! I would have _had_ the chance to die _with_ her, like I _should_ have! Instead you get to _keep_ your love, she gets to be the big damn hero and there are not even _atoms_ left of my Shrive! _How is that fair?"_

She punctuated her words by slamming her sister harder against the wall. The tears that simmered against the lavender escaped their binds, spilling down her cheeks. Liara's own eyes were heating in echo of it.

"It is not fair," Liara said softly. "Eír, it is _not_ fair. Shrive did not deserve to die, and you do not deserve to have this pain. You did not deserve what Gellian did to you, what you are feeling…but it is not Shepard's _fault_. If she could have traded her life for Shrive's she would have. She would have done _anything_ to save her."

Eír's brows trembled a moment before steeling. Her glare was pure ice, if damp ice, as she fixed her sister's gaze. "Well, now _you_ shall understand my pain in exquisite detail, won't you?"

Liara could feel herself shaking, that fear renewing its hold in her heart and stomach. "Eír…is Del alive?"

"Maybe. Maybe _not_. You do not know. It is hard, is it not? To _not_ know? To frantically try to reach them, hoping beyond hope that they will answer, that you will hear their voice again. That is the most painful part, is it not? The wondering? The _fearing?_"

As she spoke a shadow moved silently behind her, emerging from a nearby doorway that was jammed open. Liara fought not to let her eyes shift that direction, especially when she realized the figure was too small to be Thug. She was certain that Eír would be able to feel her heart thundering in relief when she saw the form peripherally enough to realize who it was.

Shepard had clearly seen better days. Her helmet was gone, and her face looked swollen and a little discolored, striped with numerous gashes. The rest of her hard-suit had taken a beating and had been completely punctured in more than one location, half of it scorched black. Her dark eyes were intensity personified as she edged out , her gaze fixed on the pair of asari, measuring, calculating, plotting.

_She's alive…thank the Goddess, she's alive!_

The mantra repeated over and over in Liara's head, even as she struggled to keep Eír's attention. She had no desire for Shepard to kill her baby sister, but they had to at least neutralize her, or they were _both_ dead.

"If you understand that pain, Eír…why would you seek to inflict it on another?" she asked sadly.

"Because pain is what this galaxy is _all about_," Eír retorted. "You and those like you like to _pretend_ it is about love, forgiveness…_compassion_. It is a _lie_. There is nothing but the _pain_, and until you realize that, you-"

Something silver flashed through the air. Liara barely saw it coming before Eír was suddenly jolted backward with a tug, the blue flare of her biotics dying with a single snap, as if someone had thrown a switch.

Shepard had flung the chain Liara had given her, catching Eír around the waist and using her grip on both ends to yank the woman back away from her prisoner. Eír was taken so completely by surprise that she fumbled awkwardly to catch herself, her feet tangling together. As she started to fall, Shepard released the ends of the chain and they automatically snapped closed, snug and tight around the asari's waist.

Eír was cinched.

She recovered fast, however. Not realizing at first what was clamped around her, Eír moved like lightning, rebounding almost the instant she'd fallen and leaping toward Shepard with all the deadly speed of a striking cobra. Her hands flung forward, her face murderously intent for a breath before bafflement replaced it, her biotics cold and dead.

Still her forward momentum was too fast and too strong for her to correct it. She slammed into Del and they both crashed hard to the ground. Liara swept a hand out, intending to use her own energy to pull Eír away, but it seemed the cinch had no care for the origin of the dark energy that came into contact with it. While the power burst from her hands as it was intended, as soon as it came near Eír it simply vanished into the cinch as well.

_The device protects them from biotics even as it neutralizes their own_, the scientist in her noted, as Shepard rocked back, slamming her boots into Eír's abdomen and thrusting her away. Eír sailed back, crashing to the ground with a faint bark of pain. She rolled, getting to her feet, one hand gripping the thin metal chain on her waist.

"You _cinched_ me?" she raged, drawing her pistol. Shepard drew her own, both weapons snapping toward one another.

Eír fired just a microsecond faster, the impact of her shot in Shepard's shoulder enough to make the human woman bark with pain, half-turning with the shot and throwing off her aim. Her own shot spanked against the bulwark only inches away from Eír's thigh; had it landed where it was intended, it would have been disabling but not fatal.

Liara felt her hand close on her own pistol, lifting it from the ground where Eír had cast it carelessly after tearing it away. Time seemed to slow exponentially as Shepard recovered, as Eír refocused her aim, as Liara brought hers to bear.

Three weapons ignited, the trio of shots sounding like one large blast. Liara heard the faint grunt from her right as Shepard was hit again, the human woman dropping to her knees. She saw the blossom of purple swell from Eír's chest from her own shot as a line traced from Del's over the asari's cheek, skidding in a slice as neat as any razor would cast.

She saw her sister start to collapse, one arm sailing outward as she crumpled backward, felt the pistol drop from her numb fingers as she turned toward Del.

Shepard was on the ground on her back, one leg outstretched with the other bent at the knee, her gloved hand plastered over her stomach. As Liara registered the sight, as time seemed to speed up and resume its normal pace, the human woman levered herself up on her elbow, teeth grit in a pale face.

Liara moved to her side, grasping hold of her, trying to stop her motion. "_No_, stay still-"

"It's not bad," Shepard managed, resisting the asari's attempt to halt her. "We have to…_no!_"

She suddenly grabbed hold of the asari, but was too slow. Eír had pushed herself up, despite what had to be unbelievable pain, her fury and lust for vengeance driving her past even the wounds she'd sustained. Liara felt the slash of heat before she even heard the bark of the gun. It seemed to twist and knot her muscles and for a moment, consciousness threatened to flee in the wake of it. Darkness ate at the corner of her eyes a beat before the world seemed to tune back in, like a comm signal gaining strength.

She was vaguely aware of a loud thump, her mind taking hold of it and filing it away. What she was more aware of was Del's haggard, bruised and bleeding face over hers. It seemed she could see every individual strand of dark hair hovering over her face, the subtle shades of brown that formed her eyes. She could see the damp sweat clinging to her skin, the beads of ruby blood.

_Human blood is prettier than ours_, she thought idly, still half dazed, then blinked, reaching up and gripping hold of Del.

"Li!"

"I am…_ahh_!" she made the mistake of shifting, thinking to alleviate the unease she had in her side, but the motion only drove it into searing new heights.

"Don't move," Shepard ordered, fear dancing among the shades of brown.

"I am…no, I am ok," Liara insisted. "Eír-!"

"She's down, she's…unconscious," Shepard reassured. Liara stubbornly pushed herself up anyway, half-clinging to Shepard's arm, grimacing as the wound in her side pulled and throbbed.

Eír was indeed down on the ground, limp and unmoving. Beside her, a young human man was standing, the spanner he'd used to strike the asari in the head loose in one hand. He was looking at the two of them in mild puzzlement, his expression patient but affable. Liara stared at him a moment before she realized she _knew_ him.

"_David_? David Archer?"

"Hello," he greeted pleasantly. "It is nice to see you again. You are bleeding?"

Shepard firmly had hold of Liara's shoulder, balancing her and peering at her wound worriedly despite the fact that Liara could see the paleness of her own face, feel the tremble in the human woman's grip.

"David, do you know where there's a medi-kit?" Shepard asked. He shrugged, pointed back the way he'd come.

"That way. But there is an angry krogan-"

"Fuck me," Shepard grunted, then looked at Liara. "Can you walk?"

"I am afraid I will have to," Liara told her. Struggling, both wounded women managed to get to their feet. Shepard immediately moved to support the asari, winding an arm around her waist to help her along.

"C'mon, David, you'll be safer with us," she urged as they started on a limping, weaving course.

"What about Eír?" Liara weakly protested. "She's wounded-"

"So is Thug, and he's in a _very_ pissy mood," Shepard told her as David trailed behind them. "He'll take care of her. We've got to move or we're dead."

She gave no further protest, though her heart ached at leaving the woman just lying there. Eír's actions were not her fault, not entirely. She was a victim of her genetic pre-programming as much as of her pain and grief…grief she clearly had no idea how to deal with. She didn't deserve to die because of how Gellian had made her, and certainly not because she was hurting over Shrive's death.

"Liara to Garrus," she said, managing to activate her ear-bud without releasing her hold on the wounded human too much.

_{Liara, good…what's your status?}_

"I am with Shepard and David Archer. Shepard is badly wounded. I am…not faring so well myself. If there is any way to give it we could use some assistance."

_{Sanders has your location fixed. The students are on the shuttle, Jack and I are heading back your direction, just hang tight.}_

They had not gone far, and though she could still feel it was bleeding, her wound seemed to have gone numb. Shepard, however, was clearly struggling, less supporting Li now and more being supported _by_ her. Liara used her biotics as much as she could, diminishing their combined weight to make the going easier, but they were slowing down drastically.

Seeing the human woman's eyelids flutter a little, feeling her start to sag, Liara tried to bolster her up. "Stay with me, Del," she urged softly. "Please…we can get through this. Just stay with me."

"'n'goin' nowhere," Shepard tried to reassure, her voice low and sluggish. David suddenly stepped forward, taking Shepard's other arm and helping to take her weight. Though he was a grown man, he was rather slender and small, and Del's full weight with damaged hard-suit and weapons pack -not to mention her incredibly heavy, mostly synthetic skeleton- was considerable.

Still, they managed to move a little faster, Liara struggling to keep her own spinning head steady and not to look down at the dribbles of both blue and crimson dripping at their feet.

* * *

Shepard's mind was swimming at the edges, her wounds more or less numb thanks to her suit's rather over-taxed pain-killers. The blood loss was making itself known, however. She felt herself stumble, heard Liara's distant hiss between her teeth, and tried to shift her grip to lift the asari rather than be supported by her.

"Don't, I am all right," Liara insisted. Shepard shook her head, getting a firm hold under her arm.

_You're a __**soldier**__, damn it! N7 and a Captain of the Alliance. You are __**not**__ going to faint and you __**are**__ going to walk on your own two feet, do you understand?_

"Need the mech," she mumbled. Her feet felt like they weighed a million pounds, and all her concentration was going in to moving them.

"Mech?" she heard Liara asked, and grinned drunkenly.

"No…_Atlas_. Kicked…Thug's ass in an Atlas…_mostly_. Could carry us…"

"You will have to tell me that story later," Liara replied gently. "Unfortunately, we have no way of retrieving this Atlas."

_Liara._ Liara was hurt too, and here she was trying to half-carry Del. Shepard shifted again, trying to support the asari, only to feel her knees buckle. Liara grabbed hold of her as David stumbled, the pair falling to their knees.

"No! No no no, you are doing _fine_," Liara said swiftly. "Do not give up now."

"Not…givin' up," Del mumbled in reply. "Just…_tired_…"

"I know, I am too, but we have to keep moving," Liara told her. Shepard managed to focus on her face, lifting a tattered and scorched glove and lightly touching her cheek.

"You're hurt," she lamented weakly. "You're hurt, and it's all my-"

"I will be fine. _You_ will be fine," Liara reassured. Her eyes seemed shinier somehow, larger. Her face was swimming in and out of focus.

She felt someone tugging on her, unaware it was David trying dutifully to lift her weight again. Somehow, she found the strength to get to her feet again, gripping the boy's shoulder, then feeling Liara's warmth against her, the soft brush of her breath on her ear.

"I love you," Liara whispered.

"You're stronger than I am," Shepard murmured in return.

"I do believe that is a categorical impossibility," Liara hedged, and Shepard gave a weary grin.

"With the big words again…you know how…turns me on…"

"Geez, you two look like _shit_!" Jack blurted as she and Garrus rounded the corner, catching sight of the trio. David smiled pleasantly at them.

"Hello."

"Here, I got her," Garrus said, grabbing hold of Shepard and hefting her clear off her feet. Still dancing with unconsciousness, Del gave him a weak slap to the shoulder.

"Put me down y'big…_turkey_," she grumped. "I c'n walk!"

"Yeah, _sure_ you can," he replied dryly. "I don't know what a 'turkey' is but if it's bad you'd better hope I find out _after_ I get you to Chakwas, or you may never reach her."

"No, _Liara_ needs help-"

"I got Blue, Shepard, don't worry," Jack replied, slinging an arm around the asari and easily supporting her. "C'mon, let's get out of here before Ugly and Angry track you down again."

* * *

Del must have lost her grip on consciousness at some point, because she went from being carried by Garrus to laying on the seat in a Cerberus shuttle, a sea of faces seeming to hover over her. She blinked, lifting a hand to wipe her eyes clear only to have it caught. Her gloves were gone, and she could feel smooth skin on hers.

"Don't fiddle," Jack protested, gently but firmly lowering her hand again. "Your face looks even more like hamburger than usual. You don't want to go poking around."

"Liara-"

"She's over there," Jack jerked her chin. "Garrus is taking care of her, and keeping her sitting. Blue's almost as stubborn as _you_ are. If I didn't have a class full of biotics to make sure she behaved she'd be sitting here with you and bleeding to death as she did it."

One of the girls was hovering over Jack's shoulder, edging closer and closer as she talked. She licked her lips nervously, and Shepard's eyes shifted toward her as she tentatively spoke.

"Captain…Shepard?"

Jack looked at her. "No crowding, Rodriguez. Shepard doesn't need you gawking."

Though her words were a reprimand, Del was surprised to hear a great deal of affection mixed in with them…a gentle protectiveness she'd never expected to associate with the ex-con.

"It's ok, Jack," Del murmured. "Rodriguez, was it?"

"Yes ma'am," the girl replied with a nod. "Norma Rodriguez. I just…I wanted to thank you for what you did for Ms. Nought."

"_Ms. Nought_?" Shepard asked with as much amusement as she could muster up, being still on the trembling edge of unconsciousness. Jack gave her a stern glower. "What I did?"

"Yeah. She…doesn't think we always listen to her, but I heard the stories…about when she worked with you, going up against the Collectors. I just…thank you for putting up with her and all and not shooting her or something. I'd understand if you had, but then we wouldn't have the best teacher in the galaxy."

"I don't know if I should be insulted or complimented," Jack huffed, but Del could see the pleased smile on her face. "She's a f-…oh, _there she goes_."

This last was lost in a fog as Shepard lost her grip on consciousness yet again. This time, when the world briefly clarified, she could hear Chakwas shouting from deep underwater, feel a familiar cool hand on her forehead.

"Nan…" she murmured weakly. "Wh'r's Li…?"

"Just be still, baby…" came the soft reply, and then nothing but the heavy wet black of sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Little bit of shmexy and some mush in this chapter. The whole first section of this took me completely by surprise, more so than usual.

As did the whole end section, actually.

Hmm….come to think of it, the entire chapter just kind of…plopped out.

Like a kidney.

Mimicking a full-stop.

Great, now it sounds gross…but major points if you get the reference.

Anyway, not a whole lot of action so you fans of the pew pew are just gonna have to wait.

* * *

"It is not much but…I thought it might help keep you entertained. I know that you have _some_ restricted level of extranet access-"

"_Restricted_ doesn't begin to cover it," Sydney told Deirdre as she turned the projector plate over in her hands. "I can't get to any good porn sites at _all_."

The asari smiled in faint amusement, inclining her head a little as she watched Sydney switch the plate on. A holographic flowering shrub appeared in the middle of the room, its blooms like little crimson flutes. Rising from her cot, Sydney looked at it before she touched the plate again. The shrub vanished, replaced by a graceful tree dripping with blossoms -clearly not to scale, or it would not fit in the cell- but beautiful nevertheless.

She gave Deeds a smile. "Whole new way to bring someone flowers?"

Deirdre smiled. "It is a botanical database. Over six thousand species of Thessian plant-life. If you have the audio on it will tell you about each one you pull up. I…was restricted on what I was allowed to bring. The salarians thought _this_ might be peaceful."

"I love it, Deeds…thank you," Syd replied. Moving over, the asari took her hands, gently slipping the pad from her fingers and making her own selection. A flower appeared, a huge blossom hanging in mid-air. Yellow at its fringes, deepening through orange to purple at its heart, it bore white stamens and deep, violet colored leaves.

"This one makes me think of you," she told the human woman, regarding it. "It is called a veil flower. It reacts biologically to anything that touches it, prompting color changes of its petals and leaves. It is said that it shifts to match the mood of the one that touches it but…it is simply reacting to chemicals and pheromones contained in the faint oils on the skin."

"And it makes you think of me?" Syd asked with a puzzled smile.

"Yes," Deirdre said, setting the pad on the cot and then stepping close, letting her fingers drift over the tattoos on Sydney's arms. "Pretty colors, always changing but…always the same beauty underneath."

"Flatterer," Sydney smiled, the expression genuine but colored with the exhaustion, the fear she still felt. Lifting her hands, Deirdre gently let her fingertips drift over the corners of her eyes and then down to her cheeks, trying to smooth that tension away a little bit before she leaned in to kiss her. Syd shied back ever so slightly, casting a half-glance at the clear wall of her cell.

Four armed salarians were watching them, the required guard whenever anyone was in the cell with Syd, a measure to keep them safe in case her actions moved out of her control once again. Mordin didn't think it would happen outside a direct Reaper or Indoctrinated influence but he saw no reason not to be absolutely cautious.

Of course, that meant she got little to no privacy, and no alone time with Deeds.

"They're watching," she murmured with a faint grin. Deirdre echoed it with a careless tilt of her head.

"Let them watch," she teased, then closed the distance and kissed her.

Ducking her head a little as it broke, Sydney held the asari close, letting out a faint sigh. Sensing she was still unsettled by the earlier experiment with Mordin, Deeds opened herself up, lightly brushing her consciousness against the human woman's, soothing, comforting, enveloping as best she could. The temptation to do a full Joining was there, however she knew that Syd was concerned about it. Not so much because the salarians were watching, but because she was worried about Deirdre experiencing the darker shadows deep within, left by the indoctrination. Their observers were truly a moot point; physical intimacy was a very welcome and often indulged aspect, but hardly a _necessary_ part to a Joining. If they wished, the guards would see only the two of them standing together, and while they might surmise what was _truly_ going on, there would be no more display than that.

Truth be told, if she wanted, Deirdre could map Sydney's DNA right here with only a hand against her cheek, start new life-

She ducked her head a little, feeling her eyes heat. She felt the blonde's sudden concern, both through the light touch of their spirits and in the brush of her hand over her crest.

"Deeds? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Deirdre tried, drawing back slightly. Syd, of course, knew better and didn't let her retreat.

"No, don't start _that_. It's not 'nothing'. _Talk_ to me."

"It is just this situation, that is all. Worrying about you, about this indoctrination. I do not know if Mordin can fix you…he has come so far, but-"

"_Hey_," Sydney ducked her head, seeking out her eyes. "We have to have hope, right? We've come through so much."

"That is just it. We have come through so much together and…when I think of losing you-"

"Is that why you didn't tell me you're an assassin?" Sydney asked. Deirdre stiffened, eyes flying wide as she stared at her companion, shocked not only at the unexpected revelation but also the expression on the blonde's face. It was not full of anger, hate, or betrayal as she had expected. Just…_understanding_.

"How-"

"Little things. I began to suspect a while back," Sydney told her.

"But you never...the Joinings! There was never any _hint_ that you-"

"You think you're the only one that can keep a secret from the Joining?" Syd smirked, then shook her head. "I don't care, Deeds. At first I…I was a _bit_ upset, I'll admit. I didn't know what to do or what to think. Then I reminded myself that my hands aren't exactly clean, and that if I loved you then I _loved you_, and nothing was going to change that. Not unless I let it. You're worth too much to me to let it."

Deirdre's eyes shifted, her voice soft and tremulous. "I was so afraid to tell you. I was certain that you would hate me, that if I let you know I would lose you."

"I know," Syd responded. "Early on…you might have. Before I figured things out with that whole mess over Thane I…I probably wouldn't have reacted well. Now…well, if what we've been through in the last year hasn't changed my perspective on things, made me reassess my priorities, then nothing ever will."

Deirdre searched the human woman's face a moment, then took herself by surprise when she suddenly blurted out, "I want a baby."

"You…_what_?" Sydney let out a sound that was half-startled, half-laughter. "Did you just say-"

Deeds took a shaky breath, then nodded. "Yes, I did," she affirmed.

"Deeds, sweetie, this is…wow, ok, hang on. This is…_what_?"

"I have been thinking about it, especially after the Collector base," Navis told her as she watched the blonde pace slightly, raking a hand back through her blonde hair as she tried to absorb what had just happened. Syd turned to face her, making a helpless gesture.

"The Collectors made you _maternal_?" She tried to cover her fluster with a joke, and Deirdre looked at her sternly.

"_No_, but nearly losing you made me 'reassess my priorities', to use your own words," she rebutted. "I am young but I am hardly the youngest asari to ever consider such a thing. It is not common for maids to desire families but it _does_ happen…just as it is not common for a human of eighteen or nineteen to want to settle down, but it is not unheard of."

"Deirdre, I'm _hardly_ in a position to be settling down and starting a family!" Sydney told her. "I'm the leader of a merc group for crying out loud, there's a war going on if you hadn't noticed, and…oh yeah-…_I'm indoctrinated and in a cell!"_

The asari folded her arms and arched a brow. "I thought Thanatos was not mercenary."

"We're _not_, but…well, _you know what I mean!"_

"Yes," Navis said gently. "I also know that you are frightened. I am frightened _too_, Sydney but…"

The blonde had turned away from her, hands planted on her hips and head down. Deirdre walked over, sliding her arms around her waist and resting her forehead on the back of her shoulders. "_I love you_," she said. "I used to be so carefree, so hooked on fun and glamour. It was so empty, Syd. I can see that now. It was a mockery of an existence until I met you. Yes, there is a war on. It may be that we bring a daughter into a galaxy that is doomed to extinction at the hands of the Reapers, but I _refuse_ to see their victory as inevitable. I can think of no greater defiance to their insistence upon death than creating new _life_, an affirmation of hope."

"Deirdre-"

"I do not know if I am going to lose you. I know we will do everything we can to stop that from happening but there is a…there is a bigger chance than I would like to admit that we will not succeed. Some part of you deserves to go on, love. I know that most of my people like to tout about how it _really_ works and that there is no _true_ genetic relationship between the child and the father but I do not believe it. I have seen too many asari children born with traits of their fathers, even if those traits tend to be emotional or spiritual rather than physical. A daughter that is stubborn where the father is stubborn, humorous where the father is humorous, has an affection for dance if the father is a dancer…it happens too often to be coincidence. And I cannot even _number_ the amount of asari that are born with the same eye color as their father, do not tell me _that_ is happenstance."

"Deirdre, that is the _wrong reason_ to bring a daughter into this world," Sydney said, turning to look at her. "You can't have a child just so you don't lose _me_. She deserves to be her own person, not…not living her life trying to replace a loss-"

"That is not what I am saying!" Deeds insisted. "A daughter deserves to be born of love, to have such wonderful parents to inspire them, and…even if you were _physically_ absent, how could any girl not be inspired by having a father such as you? I mean, listen to what you are saying. She is not even _here_, just a discussion…and you are _already_ defending her interests."

Sydney frowned a little, and Deirdre leaned forward, kissing her lightly, briefly. "Syd, love…_any_ daughter of yours would be so strong, loving, charismatic, dashing-"

"A little crazy?" Syd smirked, and Navis laughed.

"That too," she agreed. "She would be wonderful, and she deserves a chance to _be_."

As the blonde ducked her head again, Deirdre touched her cheek lightly, understanding. "You do not have to decide right this moment, love."

"I just…I always imagined different circumstances to this, that's all."

"So, you _did_ think about it?" Navis teased softly, making Syd smirk again.

"Well…_maybe_. A little bit. I mean, I'm not getting any younger, right? I just…" she shrugged weakly. "Shouldn't we at least be…you know."

"Bonded?" Deirdre asked, then tried to think of the human word for such a partnership. "_Married_, I think is what you call it?"

"Yeah."

"There are different perceptions among my people," Deirdre told her. "If you have committed yourself to another, to share your love and your life, then you are considered bondmates. You would have to register with the Thessian government for full recognition and partnership benefits of course but that is a simple enough process. Many of a more _traditional_ mind may choose not to consider themselves full bondmates until they have undergone the actual ceremony in the sight of Athame but…that is individual choice and not mandate. And it is…kind of _difficult _at the moment, considering our circumstances."

Sydney sighed. "That is what I keep going back too…our _circumstances_. I want to _be_ there, to help you, provide for you and any kids."

"I know," Deeds said softly. "One thing I have learned in my years, however, is that circumstances are never truly ideal, and that if you wait until the perfect moment…you may end up waiting for a moment that never comes. The sad truth will always be that you are human, and I am asari. Were you to leave us in a week or in a hundred years…"

"Yeah," Syd murmured, lowering her head.

The asari slipped her fingers under the human's chin, lifting her head and kissing her lightly. "I love you, and that will not change whatever your answer. This will be your daughter as much as mine, and you have as much choice in this as I do. I-"

_{I say, go for it.}_

Both women jolted, startling at the sudden voice that filtered from the small comm pad sitting at the foot of the cot. Sydney stared at it as if it had come to life.

"_Eve?_ How long have you been listening?"

_{Several minutes,}_ the krogan admitted. _{I opened the channel to see if you were up to talking, but did not want to interrupt.}_

"I need to talk to Mordin about getting a security encryption on that damned thing," the human chuckled.

"You agree with me, Eve?" Deirdre asked, less flustered by the eavesdropping krogan than Sydney was. _Then again, humans do have odd notions of privacy sometimes_, she thought.

_{Sydney, the chance to foster new life is one of the greatest gifts anyone can be given. It is a gift that many take for granted, but has become so precious to my people. If there is love, and hope for a future, then I say to take hold of it. More reason to fight is more reason to fight.}_

Sydney gave a flustered little flap of her hands, looking over at the implacable salarian guards. "What about _you_ boys? What do _you_ think?" she asked.

The four exchanged looks, before one shrugged. "It's an honor to successfully negotiate a reproduction contract, and-"

"Ok, yeah…got it," she interrupted with a laugh. Deidre grinned as well, once more sliding her arms around Sydney's waist.

"Well, the krogan and the salarians are all for it," she teased. "If you would like, I can try and get the hanar, elcor and volus to weigh in-"

The human snorted a laugh, then shook her head. "I don't think that'll be necessary."

Hugging Deirdre close she took a breath, then sighed. She felt an odd flutter of nerves and more anticipation that she'd expected as she finally nodded. "Yeah, ok. You…you never get anything out of life without taking a chance right?"

Navis pulled back enough to cup her face, searching her eyes. "You mean it?"

Sydney grinned. "Yeah…I do. I mean it. I love you, and any kid of yours is bound to be so astoundingly amazing the entire galaxy will faint with jealousy."

Deirdre felt tears rush to her eyes and hugged her love tightly as they spilled over her cheeks. "I love you, Syd," she gasped. "_I love you."_

* * *

_Shepard let the broken, scorched pieces of Earth fall from her hands as Liara trotted out into the sunshine, letting the model of the _Normandy_ swoop through the air. Rising from her chair, she followed the asari onto the green grass, into the golden sunlight. _

_With a delighted smile, Liara threw the model into the air, catching it with her biotics and making it soar around them as if it were real, propelled by its encasing bubble of dark energy. It swept off higher and higher into the sky, arcing over some trees in the distance before Del caught Liara around the waist, breaking her concentration. The model wavered and then fell into the foliage, and the asari laughed._

"_I lost it," she giggled as the human swept her around, drawing her close._

"_We'll find it again," she promised, kissing the side of her neck before embracing her tightly._

_Her smile faded into puzzlement, then alarm as the body in her arms began to crack and crumble, flesh giving way like dry ash beneath her fingers. Whipping her arms back she gaped in horror. _

_Liara was slowly being consumed, gray mummified flesh taking the place of soft blue. Her legs broke and fell away beneath her like burned wood, her hands reached out toward Del as if in pleading as she dropped down to her knees. The sky had become dark and heavy, the sun fading even before a dense shadow fell over them._

_Looking upward, Shepard saw the great form of a Reaper descending, it's 'eye' already flaring red._

_**We have you**__._

* * *

Shepard's muscles ached dully as she spasmed awake, foggy eyes flying wide, darting about in a confused fog for a moment.

A form rushed toward her, gently touching her shoulder before a familiar scent touched her nose, familiar eyes coming into focus.

"Shh, be still, sweetie, you're all right."

"Nan," she breathed, relaxing as reality overtook dream. _Another goddamn nightmare._

"Yes, it's me," she smiled. "Dr. Chakwas tells me that this is not an uncommon occurrence when you come back from a mission. You seem to have a nasty habit of getting yourself hurt."

"Yeah…can't keep my ass out of the fire," she rasped weakly, then looked around, blinking as she tried to clear the muzz from her brain. "Li?"

"She's fine. She's sleeping," Nan whispered, indicating the next bio-bed. Shepard turned her head to see the asari laying there on her side, hands tucked under her cheek and facing them. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing slow and even.

"How bad?"

"Well, you-"

"Not me, _her_," Del insisted. Nan smiled with understanding.

"She had a good gash in her side, but it was all muscle and soft tissue. Bullet just grazed her, but she lost a lot of blood and she will be tender and sore for a day or two. You were in slightly worse shape. Two bullets, a lacerated spleen, knicked liver, first and second degree burns, extensive bruising, multiple lacerations, some plastiglass shards from a broken helmet embedded in your pretty face, a concussion, and Dr. Chakwas tells me you were exposed to vacuum?"

Del shifted uncomfortably. "Just for ten seconds or so," she admitted. "They teach you how to handle vacuum in boot…no lasting damage under thirty seconds, so long as you don't hold in a lungful of air."

"I have no doubt their training is very thorough," Nan told her softly. "But you must have been frightened-"

"Nan," Shepard scowled weakly. The older woman lifted her brows.

"Del, it's after three am ship-time. Everyone is asleep, including the doctor. You may be a marine, you may be a captain, but you are still _my girl_, and I am _worried_ about you. I…I knew of course that being a soldier…well, I know that it's dangerous. Being thousands of light-years away worrying is far different than worrying at your bedside, _seeing_ the injuries. I know you're strong, and capable, but-"

Shepard carefully moved her hand, finding Nan's and squeezing it. "I know, Nan."

The older woman squeezed back, giving a soft smile. "I also know that while you are strong enough to handle any pain, being in a vacuum…_again_-"

Something moved behind Del's eyes before she nodded. "I know," she murmured. "I'm fine."

"Sweetie-"

"I'm _fine_," she said, more insistently. "I handled it fine. I didn't panic, I'm still alive. I'm more worried about Li."

"She was worried for you too," Nan said gently, glancing over affectionately at the asari before she brushed a light hand over Del's hair. "You need to get some rest, sweetie. Chakwas is sure you'll be up on your feet by tomorrow evening and back to duty in a couple of days. I had no idea medicine had come so far-"

"It's partly that," Shepard replied. "Partly, it's thanks to the little nanites I have running all over my cells. They speed up healing quite a bit."

"Oh. Yes, that's right, she mentioned that too. Well, I'm grateful for them, at any rate. Anything that helps, right?"

Rising, she leaned over and lightly kissed Del's forehead. "Sleep, baby," she whispered.

"You too," Del told her. "I don't want you staying all night beside this bio-bed. You need rest too. Go up to the Nest. Take advantage of my bed. Someone might as well make use of it right now."

"Oh, I'm all-"

"Nan, don't make me make that an order," Shepard threatened.

"Sweetie, I'm not on your crew, remember?"

"_No_, but the security detail on night duty _is_, and they will be more than happy to escort you up to the Nest and guard the door to make sure you don't sneak out until 0800 if necessary."

Nancy blinked, then chuckled. "Well, perks to being the captain abound, don't they? All right then."

Del smiled. "Go on. I'll see you in the morning."

After Nancy had gone, Shepard shifted a little with a faint grimace of discomfort, before turning her head toward the sleeping Liara. Her eyes softened, and after a moment her hand stole out. Wordlessly, the asari slipped one palm out from under her cheek and reached out as well, taking hold of the offered hand. Lashes parted and blue eyes met brown.

Neither spoke. Words were not needed or necessary. After a time, they both fell to sleep again, hands remaining clasped together, bridging the small distance that separated them.

* * *

Gathered at the table in the mess, the nine biotic students sat shoveling in food like it was going out of style and gaping at the crewmen that wandered past during pauses in conversation. Jack, her own plate heaped with enough to choke a krogan, observed them with no small level of amusement. Kahlee Sanders, on the opposite end, seemed just as amused.

"So, Jack…never pegged you for a teacher," Garrus told her as he set his tray down beside the biotic ex-con, taking the seat.

"_Sure _you can sit there, no sweat," she snorted with a smirk. He smirked right back with a faint flap of a mandible.

"Don't mind if I do. So…avoiding the subject. Teacher?"

She shrugged, then glanced up as Sanders answered for her.

"The Alliance heard of her work with Captain Shepard against the Collectors," she supplied. "They offered her the position and surprisingly, she accepted."

"The Psychotic Biotic," Jason Prangley grinned, echoed by Rodriguez as she clenched a fist, putting on a fake scowl.

"_I will destroy you!"_

"Ok, that's enough," Jack snorted with a smirk.

Looking at the kids, Garrus said, "Did she ever tell you about the time she called the Captain a-"

"Garrus!" Jack snapped, and when he blinked at her, she tilted her head toward the students. "_Kids_?"

"Ah. Is _that_ why you're watching your language so admirably?" he joked.

"She's a professional now," Kahlee said, her eyes twinkling in mirth. "It was part of her sign-on agreement."

"Do you have any good stories about Jack?" a girl named Maree Victors wanted to know.

"What about of Captain Shepard?" Rodriguez interjected before he could answer.

"I can tell you stories about Jack _and_ Captain Shepard," Garrus told them, and Jack groaned.

"Garrus, I swear to fuu_un_-" Jack groaned.

"What?" he asked innocently. "There _are_ stories about you and Shepard I could tell-"

"_Kissy_ stories?" a boy named Daniel Sein asked with a grin, only to bark with indignation as Prangley slapped him lightly upside the head.

"Well-"

"_Garrus_!" Jack snapped, and the turian laughed, shaking his head.

"No, no 'kissy stories'," he reassured. "They were just friends. However they liked to argue. Especially about how many kills the other one would make. She ever taught you kids how to bowl?"

Confused looks were exchanged, heads shaken. Sanders still had a bemused grin on her face, listening with interest.

"Well, you know…what is it called, Jack? The biotic move you use-"

"He's talking about a shockwave," Jack told them. "Underhand…pop pop pop _BAM_. When we'd get swarmed by husks that move would send them flying."

"Like bowling pins," Rodriguez grinned.

"Yeah, so we made it a contest, kind of. I'd lose points if I missed any at the edges and Shepard had to snipe them. I got more strikes than splits though, just to point that out."

"Captain Shepard's not a biotic though, is she?" Rodriguez asked. "How did she bowl?"

"Grenades, mostly," Jack shrugged.

"Is it true she killed a thresher maw with her bare hands?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"Don't be stupid, Sein," Prangley snorted. "_No one_ can kill a thresher maw with their bare hands. They're huge, and their armor is like razors. It would have cut her to pieces-"

"Prangley, you think you'd learn by now to be careful when you flap your gums," Jack grinned. "She didn't do it 'bare-handed' if you wanna be technical, but she didn't use more than an assault rifle and a grenade launcher from what I understand. Oh…and Blue."

"Blue…that's the asari that was helping us."

"Liara," Garrus told them. "She's a tough little spitfire when she wants to be. But yeah, Jack is right. Shepard and her team were ambushed by a maw…it was a trap, you see. Someone had planted a distress beacon right in the middle of the nest. Shepard, Liara, and two humans named Kaidan and Ashley were in the MAKO when it hit. Shepard ordered them to keep driving in circles to distract the thing, and she jumped out to tackle it on foot."

Nine sets of huge eyes fixed, rapt, on Garrus's face. He sat back with a grin, warming up to the story. "So standard issue boots and gloves have a bit of a metal mesh to them, right? Helps protect against penetration, bullets, knives, you know. Shepard figures if she moves fast she can climb up the back of the maw without getting sliced too bad, find a soft spot, and load it with bullets to take the thing down. So there she is, scaling the back of a maw, her padding getting shredded on the scales. The worm of course is moving and bucking and trying to hit the MAKO which is also firing at it to keep its attention. Shepard manages to get to its head, pries a scale away from the soft tissue, and starts firing."

"That's crazy!"

"Nuh uh!"

"I bet it didn't like that," Prangley noted.

"Hardly, thing went fu-_fully_ nuts," Jack nodded.

"Yeah, it did," the turian continued. "Shepard lost her grip and the next thing she knows she's forty feet in the air, falling directly toward the maw's open mouth."

Huge eyes again, and Garrus paused for dramatic effect.

"What Shepard _didn't_ know, was that Liara had jumped out of the MAKO after her. Just as she's falling toward certain death, Liara biotically bitch-slaps…uh…_slaps_-" he amended as both Jack and Sanders gave him a stern look, "- the maw hard enough to turn its head and keep her from landing right in its mouth. She tumbles down its neck, her armor getting all sliced up, and hits the ground. The maw darts in again, and bam…another biotic back-hand. Hard enough to break its tooth. Shepard pulls her grenade launcher, belts a shot right into its open mouth and _boom_. One big, dead thresher maw."

"That would be _so_ shiny," Prangley grinned. "Biotically punch a maw so hard it breaks its face!"

"With _your_ sloppy slams," Jack snorted, teasing. "You'd be lucky to break tissue paper."

A round of laughter as he blushed, Rodriguez nudging his arm with a grin. "Man, that is a crazy story though," she said, looking at Garrus. "Two of them like that, taking on a maw."

They dissolved into excited talk about the fight and about other stories they'd heard of Shepard, Garrus chuckling as he glanced at Jack, who was shaking her head. The banter lasted only a few minutes, however, before the infirmary door slid open. Liara emerged, moving a little gingerly but looking no worse for the wear. As she did, the talk immediately died away.

Spotting Jack and Garrus, Liara headed their way with a smile. "Good morning," she greeted.

"Good morning, Li. You're looking a lot better," Garrus told her.

"I am fine. Just a bit sore still. I was going to get something for Shepard to eat-"

She broke off, noticing that the students were staring at her with unabashed awe. Lifting a brow, she looked at Jack and Garrus, who only smirked, then hesitantly back at the students.

"….what?"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Good news is, I now have my laptop, so posting should be a tad more constant (as I can now complete chapters after work at home if need be) and may occasionally even show up on weekends. Most weekend writing time, however, is going to be devoted to my original fic posting on Fictionpress. If you haven't yet, be sure to pop over and look it up…I have the same registered name there as here: Melaradark.

Thanks to Bladhaire once again for her input.

Some shmexy warning for this chapter, and y'all have a good weekend! Sorry it's a tad short…busy busy.

* * *

_God, if the kid stands any straighter he's going to snap his spine in half_, Shepard thought bitterly as she tested her weight. She was standing beside the bio-bed, both Chakwas and Nan hovering. Her focus, however, was on the young sergeant near the door, so stiff he looked like if he sneezed half his bones would shatter.

"There, how does that feel?" Chakwas asked.

"Fine," Shepard told her. "Little achy but hardly worth writing home about."

"Yes, well, regardless; you're not to lift anything with that right arm over half a pound for the next twenty-four. _No duty_, you have to take it easy."

"Yes, Mom," Shepard teased, rolling her eyes. Nan gave her a look.

"You have _two_ Moms now, missy, and we _will_ confine you to quarters if we have to."

Shepard looked between the pair of women, their faces extremely serious, before she cleared her throat, shifting her eyes to Haley. "Yes, Sergeant. Did you need something?"

"We are en route to the Citadel per your request," he told her. "Arrangements are being made with Admiral Hackett as to the dispensation of the biotics from Grissom at Kahlee Sanders' request. Also, we are having some strange fluctuations with the ship's systems-"

"This sounds suspiciously like _duty_," Nan pointed out, folding her arms. Shepard ignored her.

"Fluctuations? What kind of fluctuations?"

"Mostly minor glitches in various systems but quite a number of them, and-"

"_And_ nothing that EDI and the engineers can't handle," Chakwas interrupted. "Nan is right, this is duty."

"If there's something wrong with the ship-"

"If there's something seriously wrong, EDI and the engineers will let you know," Chakwas told her. "In the mean time, you need to _rest and heal_. Rules have changed, Captain. I can order you to your quarters and put you under guard if I must, per Alliance regulations."

"Helen," Shepard scowled. Chakwas glared right back.

"I _can_, and I _will_," she warned. "Sergeant Haley, you're head of security. If I order you and your team to confine the Captain to quarters what would be your response?"

He lifted a single brow. "If it is a health consideration I would be obliged to obey and confine the Captain to her quarters until she was deemed medically fit."

Shepard's look turned black. "Fine," she growled. "But I want to be notified immediately if this becomes a serious issue, understood?"

"Understood, Captain," Helen agreed. Nancy reached out to touch her arm but Del turned and limped out before the touch could land, leaving the infirmary without even a sideways glance at Haley.

* * *

The Nest seemed dim and silent when she entered, her brows drawn down. The faint blue glimmer of the aquarium played over the side of her face, but even the soft flicking motions of the fish failed to draw her attention. It wasn't until she started to step down into the bedroom area that she tuned into the fact she wasn't in the room alone.

Her eyes lifted to the asari seated on the couch, food set elegantly out on the small table. Liara's own eyes moved up a moment to meet hers before refocusing on her task, as she poured some brandy into two glasses. "Dr. Chakwas assures me that you are well enough to drink," she said softly. "And you need to eat."

Del took the last step or two, wandering over toward her with her hands tucking in her back pockets, surveying the spread. Though the cuts and swelling had been treated, she still had bruises on her face, as well as elsewhere. Bruises always had to heal on their own.

"What about you?" she asked softly. "You ok?"

Liara smile was soft and bemused as she set the brandy snifter down. "_Sadly_, I will have a scar," she told Del, who cocked a lopsided grin. "It shall not be very impressive, barely noticeable. Asari do not scar nearly as easily as you fragile humans seem too."

"Ooh, already with the digs," Del chuckled, and went over to sit beside her. Immediately Liara shifted in closer, lifting one hand and hooking it around the back of Del's neck as she gently lay her forehead against the human woman's. Her fingers stroked through the fringes of her hair, a faint sigh escaping as Shepard pulled her even closer.

It seemed eternities had passed since Mars, but they had barely gotten any sort of reunion. Del's hand rested on her waist, seeming to hover gently over the spot she'd been wounded, and Liara shook her head slightly.

"I am _fine_, Del," she insisted, knowing her love's mind far too well to take the gesture as anything other than concern.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you," Shepard admitted, her voice barely over a breath.

"The feeling is mutual," Liara reaffirmed, before lightly kissing her. The temptation for more was definitely there, rising with rapid insistence, but she knew that Del needed food first, if nothing else.

She forced herself to draw back a little, brushing her cheek. "You need to eat," she said aloud. Del reluctantly nodded, dipping in to kiss the corner of her mouth again a moment before shifting back and turning toward the food.

They began to eat, Shepard's silence a heavy weight in the air. Liara watched her with a concerned knit to her brows, all too easily guessing the thoughts passing through her love's mind.

"Dare I ask details on what happened at the school?" Liara asked after a moment. Shepard looked at her, taking a sip of her brandy. Picking up her napkin she wiped off her lips and shook her head.

"I'll show you later."

"It may be easier for you to speak of it rather than-"

Shepard shook her head again, sharply. "It's easier to show," she insisted. "_Faster_."

"Perhaps, but it is also more intense, more personal…almost a reliving of the events," Liara reminded her patiently. When Del shot her a look, she relented with a nod. "All right. As you wish it."

Setting her brandy on the table, Shepard's fingers balanced on the rim of the glass, as if trying to press it through the surface it rested on. Her face bore a strange expression.

"You know I love you," she said after a moment. Liara looked at her, then reached over and rested her hand on her leg.

"I know that you do," she replied. Shepard nodded, then dropped her hand from the glass, drumming her fingers on the table for a second before she rose. Her food was only half-finished, but Liara wasn't going to push. More was troubling the captain than mere hunger.

Setting her own napkin aside she rose as well. When the human halted in the middle of the room, raking a hand through her hair, Liara stepped in close, sliding her arms around and holding her.

"Everything in me wants to tell you to leave," Del admitted after a moment. "To find somewhere safe."

"Nowhere is safe."

"I know that. Doesn't change the wanting. How…how did we _get_ here, Tianlán? The Reapers, the war…I was just…I was just a nothing kid in a vent-…why the fuck did Nan have to care? Why did I have to walk into that registration office when I was seventeen?"

"I know you are not religious," Liara told her. "I am not sure that I am, either. One thing we both know, however…all in this universe are connected, Shepard. Souls must touch, lives must interact, the fabric of everything is bound so tightly together. Call this a deity, call this love or nature or find some scientific term for it…it does not matter. I believe these things were put in your path because you were the only one that could do anything about them. I know that you are so much stronger than you feel you are right now."

Shepard turned, shifting in Liara's arms until she faced her. "If I am, it's because of _you_."

"No, it is because of _you,_" Liara told her. "I was not there when you chose to find some happiness, to try some joy in your life. You did not have to trust Nan, or Paul. You did not have to break free of the chains your parents bound around you. You made these decisions yourself. You became a marine, an N7, a _hero_…long before that volcano on Therum. Del, you are so quick to blame the bad on yourself, and the good on others."

Lifting her hands from Del's waist she rested her palms lightly on her cheeks. "Let me show you how_ I_ see you, Shepard."

Her eyes shifted to black, her consciousness sliding out to entwine with that of the human captain. As they fell into the meld, Liara opened up her heart, her memories, and showed Shepard her life and her actions through the eyes of another.

The rescue at Therum. The lopsided smile. The kind hand that reached out to children and the helpless. The tender looks she rarely let others see. The laugh. The music flowing from her guitar. The strength and resolve.

Not wanting to overwhelm her, Liara drew her spirit back a little, the world around them clarifying for a moment before Del suddenly hauled her in tight, kissing her with almost frantic desperation. Liara's whole being seemed to surge forward, sweeping with abandon back into the Joining, their souls entwining and embracing with almost as much insistence and need as their bodies. Liara was only partially aware of Shepard dipping and lifting her with her good arm, dropping her back onto the soft mattress of the bed.

When anything even resembling sense returned they were clinging to each other, both shaking, tangled in sheets and cast-aside clothes.

Liara lay a tender kiss on Shepard's temple, then another on her cheek. She had felt the barriers still, deep within the human woman's mind…walls of water and steel that blocked parts of herself off from her love. Liara knew what lay beyond them…Shepard had already shown her. Wyatt's torments, her fears and nightmares. Despite this, the captain still unconsciously kept them away from her, sealing them so tightly that the walls were not only barriers but almost repulsion, batting Liara's essence back from them if it drifted too close.

Liara did not probe or pry. She already knew the secrets they held, just as she knew the walls were part of what was keeping Del from buckling under the weight of…well, _everything._

_In time, once this war is over…if we ever find our peace, then we can bring them down together_, she thought, listening to the human's thundering heart-beat in echo to her own.

* * *

Shepard shifted, rolling onto her back, and Liara moved with her. Propping herself up on one elbow, the asari gently traced the human's shoulder, fingertips tracking the sweep of the skin. Her head tilted as her gaze followed her fingers. She was clearly fascinated by the new definition to Del's muscles.

"Having fun?" Shepard asked with a faint smirk. Liara's answering, bemused expression was almost coy, as her eyes flicked to Del's face momentarily, before returning to her examination.

"You were not so…_sculpted_, the last time we were together," she said, following the sweep of the bicep back up before trailing her fingers gently down Del's side. "I like it."

"Yeah, well, wasn't much else to do back on Earth. Work out, give advice. Work out, have that advice ignored. Work out…rinse, _repeat_."

"I am sorry," Liara murmured, leaning upward a little to kiss her as her fingers reached the crest of her hip. Del suddenly made a strange sound, and the asari paused with a blink.

Shepard looked at her blankly and Liara narrowed her eyes slightly, before her fingers moved again.

The strangled sound repeated. The human blinked in barely restrained horror as a slow, wicked grin spread over Liara's face.

"_Well_, now…" she cooed, and moved slightly, drawing the feather light brush of her fingers over Shepard's belly, just barely touching the skin on her abdomen.

Shepard's stomach twitched and recoiled even as her hand slapped up over her mouth, but she was unable to choke the sound back fully. Liara grinned in triumph.

"So, it _is_ true! The great Captain Shepard…is _ticklish_!"

Instantly she set to the attack, Shepard barking a laugh as she squirmed, then revolted, flipping the pair over and pinning Liara down, both giggling.

"I am _not_," the human woman insisted, trying to look stern.

"Oh I do believe that you _are_," Liara smiled. "Do not worry. I will keep your horribly _shameful_ secret, Captain. None shall learn it from me."

"They'd better not," Del threatened with a cocksure grin. "Because there's a couple of things I could let spill about _you_."

"Oh?" Liara scoffed. "I highly doubt-"

Shifting forward, Del whispered in her ear a moment, grinning herself as the asari's blue deepened along her cheeks in a heavy blush.

"You would not dare," Liara accused. Shepard cocked an eyebrow and after a moment, Liara nodded. "I think they call this a 'balance of power'. I agree to your terms, Captain Shepard. Silence for silence."

Del laughed, then drew her close, burying her face in her neck. "I love you, Tianlán."

Liara hummed under her breath in contentment, tangling her fingers in Del's hair as they shifted to rest side by side, legs tangled together. The asari's slim blue fingers twined idly in the lock of silver hair.

After a moment, the asari ventured, "Do you think Eír will be all right?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Shepard reassured. "Thug was hurt but he was more than mobile. He'd have gotten her to help. Mordin said she had vorcha genetics and you know how fast _they_ heal."

"I am more concerned with her mental state," Liara admitted. "Shepard, she loved Shrive so much. To lose a bondmate so young, in such a way…and now she is letting this hatred and pain eat her away inside."

"I know," Del whispered. "If I could have done anything different-"

"I know," Liara echoed, cupping her cheek. "It was not your fault, but you know Eír will not give up. Gellian's trained hatred of you has only grown and festered in the wake of her grief. She has claimed it now, let it possess her. Your quick actions in snaring her with the chain may have shut down her biotics but she will not give up, and physically she is likely still a more than formidable enemy."

"She knew what it was," Del murmured. With Liara looked at her, she clarified. "That chain. When she realized I'd put it on her she was startled, yes…but she wasn't _confused_. She _knew_ what it was, what it meant. She said I had 'cinched' her."

"It is possible, I suppose, that she has come across such a device before," Liara surmised, "though the odds seem astronomical. These devices are very old and clearly far from common. It is not like they are lying upon any given merchant's shelf."

"I don't like odds," Del told her. "Especially not when they're _against_ me. You think she can get that thing off?"

"Without the control cube, I do not believe so," Liara replied. "It cannot be stretched, and the material it is made from is remarkably hard and resilient. I doubt anything short of magnetohydrodynamic technology could even scorch it, let alone cut or damage it enough to be removed. I believe the cube is the only viable method, but of course it is not possible to be certain."

"You said it was a kind of battery, one that captures and stores dark energy. That energy can't be released without the cube as well, right?"

"From my understanding," Liara agreed.

"What about capacity? How much can it store before it doesn't contain any more? Could she get use of her biotics back if it reaches its capacity?"

"Again, I cannot answer for certain," Liara admitted. "I did not have the time or resources to research it as much as I would have liked."

As her love's dark eyes turned brooding again, Liara slipped a hand under her cheek, leaning in and kissing her gently, lingering.

"You are worrying again. Let your concerns go for now. _Rest_, Shepard," she murmured, shifting enough into a meld to sooth remaining tensions as best she could, their hearts wrapping in warm embrace, finding whatever peace was possible.

Sleep came, but it did not last. Liara came awake as Shepard suddenly jolted, her entire body going from limp to taut as if she'd suffered an electric shock. Startled, the asari lifted her head, even as Del gasped in the faintest breath.

"Shepard?"

"I'm…it's ok. Just a dream," Shepard dismissed. "S'nothing-"

_{Captain, we have a stage two emergency!}_ Joker's voice suddenly burst over the comm. Instantly Del sat up, automatically reaching for her clothes.

"Report!"

_{Ship systems are going crazy…weapons powering up and then disabling, barriers fluctuating. Half our navigation system is down, and EDI is not responding!}_

Hauling on her pants as Liara rose and began to dress as well, Shepard snatched up her uniform tunic, tugging it over her head even as she headed barefoot for the door. "Engineering!" she barked.

_{Adams here, Captain! I've never seen anything like this. Engine containment is fine but power levels are going crazy…we've…hang on, we've got an electrical fire in the AI core!}_

"I'm on my way down!"

Liara darted into the lift on her heels as Shepard tried the AI. "_EDI_! EDI, if you can hear me, please respond!"

No answer. Liara looked at her nervously. "Perhaps her systems are too damaged from the fire. There must have been some sort of equipment failure-"

"I'm not losing a member of this crew," Shepard growled. EDI might be an AI, but she was as much a part of Shepard's crew as anyone. If she found out that someone had fucked with the equipment or databases in EDI's core and their meddling had caused this, she was going to hang their skin from the _Normandy's_ fucking nose-cone.

Stepping out onto the crew deck as the lift halted, she immediately spotted Adams and a pair of his engineers along with Haley waiting at the door to the AI suite. Behind the door, she could hear the faintest rushing sound…almost like a distant waterfall.

"What is that?" she demanded.

"Fire suppression systems," Adams told her. "Doors won't open until the fire is out. They can't even be overridden."

"There's no other way to get in there?"

"Not until the fire's out," he repeated. "Shouldn't take long. Systems will vent the room completely if they…ah, there we go."

The roar had stopped. A few moments later, the door unlatched. Immediately Shepard stepped forward toward the billows of smoke that roiled out, not even pausing for the face-mask Haley tried to hand her.

"EDI?" she called as she stepped in. The air filtration systems seemed to be working, as the gray was rapidly thinning. She waved a hand in front of her face, moving to an equipment bank. "EDI! Respond!"

"I am here, Shepard," came the AI's most welcome voice. Shepard let out a breath of relief as the engineers moved in.

"You all right?"

"I am still assessing."

"What happened?"

"If you would like, please turn around. It will answer your query."

Shepard turned as a form came striding out of the smoke. She heard Liara's faint intake of breath.

It was Dr. Coré…or rather, the chassis that had been left behind after she'd been neutralized. Blue eyes glimmered with serene, cybernetic calm as the figure tilted its head. "Is your query answered?" it asked with EDI's voice.

Shepard frowned. "_Hardly!_" she replied. "Edi, what the hell? Why are you in Dr. Coré's body?"

"Technically, I am only controlling this form remotely. Most of me remains in the ship," EDI supplied, as Liara moved closer. Shepard caught her arm, halting her protectively. "I have been continuing my examination of this unit and its technology. Unfortunately my activities activated a back-up CPU and power unit, and it…_retaliated_. It attempted to take over my systems, but I was able to counter successfully. I am now in full control, and all traces of its original programming parameters have been purged."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"I was quite thorough, Captain," EDI replied.

Moving a bit closer, Shepard squinted as she examined the chassis. Since it had been disabled, she personally had very little to do with it, and hadn't even really looked at it. She found herself quickly fascinated. It looked like metal and plastic alloy, but it moved like flesh. When EDI spoke its mouth would shift right along with the words, lips, tongue, and cheeks all mimicking human motion and elasticity perfectly.

"Joker is going to have a _field_ _day_ with this," she murmured, giving Liara a smirk as the asari also peered closer, lightly touching the synthetic's arm.

"It even feels like skin," she noted. "Right down to a typical human body temperature."

"Cerberus clearly used this model for seamless infiltration," EDI replied, completely nonplussed.

"Will we run into more of these?" Shepard wanted to know.

"Doubtful. From what I understand of the data I pulled from its corrupted files, Dr. Coré was a unique prototype."

"Doesn't mean the Illusive Ass can't build more," Shepard noted, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. "EDI, how far a range does this have? I mean…can you take it off-ship?"

"Yes," EDI replied. "So long as I remain in _Normandy's_ comm or tight-beam radius, I will be able to control this unit."

"She could join us planet-side, and on missions," Liara realized. "A very handy feature."

"EDI, I want you to run one more purge of the unit's systems…make _absolutely _sure that every trace of the old programming is cleared."

"You will allow me to keep the unit?" EDI actually sounded genuinely surprised.

"Sure, why not? So long as it's safe. Just…be careful around Joker, ok? I don't want him getting distracted looking at you and then flying the ship into an asteroid."

"I do not think technology holds that much fascination for him," EDI told her, puzzled. Shepard snorted.

"You look like a fuckin' vid model, EDI…it's not his fascination with _technology_ I'm worried about."


	17. Chapter 17

_She will not die, they say,  
She will but put her beauty by  
And hie away._

_Oh, but her beauty gone, how lonely_  
_Then will seem all reverie,_  
_How black to me!_

_All things will sad be made_  
_And every hope a memory,_  
_All gladness dead._

_~Walter de la Mare_

* * *

"The wound in her chest is bad," the Cerberus shipboard medic told the green-eyed krogan looming like a mountain nearby. "She's lost quite a lot of blood, and while she's healing remarkably rapidly-"

"Fix her," Thug ordered, his normally already gravelly voice taking on an even deeper tone.

"We're doing everything we can, but you must understand-"

He broke off as the krogan's fist bunched in the front of his tunic, the man hauled right off his feet and yanked in nose to nose with the murderous Thug.

"No, _you_ understand," he rumbled. "_Fix her_. If _she_ dies, I tear _you_ in half."

He cast the pale, trembling doctor back onto his feet with a disdainful snap of his hand. Truth be told, he hated these simpering, puny humans…even the ones that had been 'upgraded'.

_Upgraded, puh. Their ideas of 'improvements' are paltry, at best. Shepard and her team still shredded the lot of them._

He rubbed at the side of his face. One of the doctors had tried to treat his various burns and gashes from his fight with Shepard, but he'd cast them off. Pain would remind him of his mistakes, so that he would not repeat them.

Taking up station in the corner, eyeing the doctor with promises of torture on his face, the young krogan stood in silence as they treated his sister. Truth be told, while he hated Shepard, he _respected_ her immensely. She was a warrior worth standing against. When they finally killed her, he would know on that day that he had proven his true worth, both as a man and as a krogan. The fight and her defeat would be sung to the stars, as it _should_ be.

Eír's loathing was much more visceral. She didn't care about honor, about skill and strength…were Shepard bound and gagged and helpless, Eír would not hesitate to tear her apart. It was not about conquering a worthy foe to her…it was about _revenge_, pure and simple.

"Sir, the Illusive Man would like to speak to you," one of the Cerberus lackeys drew his attention away from the doctor and his sister.

"What for?" he grumped.

"He did not say," the human said nervously. Thug snorted at him, then strode out, nearly knocking the young whelp over in the process.

Entering the conference room, he saw the human man's holographic form already waiting, and scowled.

_Coward. Always hiding behind light and pomposity, directing others to do his fighting. Weak. Puling, feeble, and utterly __**weak.**_

"_Thug,"_ he greeted coolly. _"I understand the operation at the Academy took an…unfortunate turn."_

"If you mean we didn't snag those kids, then yeah," he snorted. "Shepard showed up."

"_So I heard…and so we had __**hoped**__ she would. You and your sister assured me you'd be able to handle her. Now I find that she not only rescued those kids, she also put the two of you down and hobbled your sister of her biotics."_

"Eír is _hardly_ hobbled. She's still worth twenty of your men."

"_My reports must be mistaken then,"_ he said calmly. _"I was told that some sort of device was attached to her waist which prevents her use of biotics. A singularly interesting and unique device…__**extremely**__ valuable."_

"Her biotics are not her _only_ strength," Thug retorted.

"_Perhaps not, but I find myself now in a very unique position. You and your sister were valuable to me as a force that could contend with Shepard, one that could ensure the security of my operations and goals. More, as you proved with your actions at Ren Station and elsewhere, I did not want you two as my enemies. Now, that dynamic has changed."_

"Changed?" Thug asked, realizing suddenly that this was a threat. Being krogan, he had never really understood manipulation, politics, maneuvering with words and lies. Among the krogan threats were made clear, obvious, and always addressable. As a species, being clandestine was not part of their make-up.

"_Even with your genetic improvements, you weren't able to stop Shepard_," he told the krogan. _"Eír's greatest strength lay in her biotics, which are now out of the picture. Your biotics are strong but not in the class that hers were. You no longer pose nearly the threat to my organization and you are no longer really an asset in the way you were before. However, the technology of that cinch, the potential hidden in Osco's genetic manipulations in your very DNA…__**these **__are extremely __**valuable**__ assets."_

"The cinch cannot be removed without the cube," Thug pointed out.

"_Yes, it can,"_ the Illusive Man smiled almost charitably. _"That is, if you are unconcerned with the life of the one wearing it."_

Advancing on the hologram, the angry krogan narrowed his eyes. "I will kill you if you try!"

Narrowing his eyes only slightly, the Illusive Man took a draw on his smoke, before the holograph dissipated.

Thug let out a growl, then turned and headed back toward the infirmary. Though he was not familiar with manipulation and subtle deceit, Thug was also far from stupid. The Illusive Man would not have told him such things unless-

He broke into a run.

As he neared the infirmary two armored troops appeared, heading toward him with weapons ready. As they ignited, he threw up a barrier, then shoved it toward them, knocking them flying off their feet. Picking up one, he whipped him around and slammed him into the wall hard enough to shatter bones, his heavy boot stomping down on the helmet of the second one. Dropping the first, he stomped again, drawing his shotgun and unloading a round into the limp form's chest-plate before he kept on his way.

Klaxons began to blare, and Thug felt the heat in his blood rise.

The infirmary door was locked down. With a snarl, Thug slammed the butt of his shotgun into the wall panel and tore it open, before firing a round into the electronics. Sparks and shards of metal and smoking wire rained around his feet, and he grabbed the door, hauling it open.

"_Eír?_" he bellowed.

He heard more thundering boot-steps coming up the corridor as he strode toward his sister's bio-bed, leveling his shotgun at the wide-eyed doctor.

He pulled the trigger as troops filled the door behind him. As the doctor's head severed from his neck in an explosion of blood, Thug turned and planted himself between the asari and the armed humans in the door.

Hell broke loose.

His barriers flared madly, then gave up under the barrage. He felt shot skipping over his armor pads, slamming through in twists of pain. He felt one career off of his plates. His shotgun danced and spat fire, and body after body fell.

There was not much in the way of crew left, thanks to the decimation their forces had suffered on Grissom. The handful of combat-ready soldiers remaining would have been hard pressed against a _normal_ krogan. Against Thug…they had little chance.

_The Illusive Man was a fool for not waiting until we had docked at a base or a station_, he thought, even as he lowered his head and charged.

Ignoring the searing slashes of pain over his neck and head as bullets drove into thick skin, Thug slammed them with the full, bone-crushing force of a krogan lost in a blood-rage. They scattered and were broken before him like dolls. As his thick shoulder crashed into one trooper and then the far wall, he could feel armor crack, bones break, life _end_ beneath it, and the thrill of that surged his fire up to new heights.

Soon, all he was aware of was rending, tearing, hot blood over his fists, in his hands, splashing over his face. By the time reality began to reassert itself, Thug stood alone in a carnage of dead humans, both of his hearts beating with primeval thunder.

Remembering Eír, he turned and started back into the medi-bay. His shotgun dropped, useless and jammed, to the floor, tumbling to a halt in the midst of steady streams of blood. He had taken over two dozen shots, and more than half of those had penetrated his armor. Reaching her bedside, his big hand rested on her crest, and he squinted at the rocking and leaning diagnostic display.

"Stop it," he grumbled at it, willing it to stay in focus as he blinked his half-lidded green eyes. Struggling, he processed what it said.

She was alive, still unconscious. Her wounds had only been given treatment while he had been standing there and watching, but were still less than they _were_, her natural healing taking over. It seemed his return had interrupted the doctor right in the middle of inputting a medication order to her IVs. He didn't know all the chemicals listed but he understood enough of them to know what their purposes were.

Euthanization.

Pulling the connections out of her arm, he slid his own beneath her, lifting her carefully. Her weight was normally nothing, but she seemed oddly heavy to him now. Gritting his teeth, he strode from the medi-bay, heading down toward the shuttle launch.

_You keep her safe, Thug. You make sure that you keep her safe, no matter what._

Mother's words from so long ago seemed to ring in his ears as he reached the shuttles. Unlocking one, he moved in and lay Eír down on the bench, before sealing the door. Staggering into the helm, backhanding his eyes clear with an irritated snap of his wrists, he found the tracking beacon set into the helm and ripped it free, dropping it and crushing it under foot.

Minutes later they were out into space, the little vehicle skipping into FTL the moment it was free of the cruiser's mass effect fields. Setting the auto-pilot, Thug weaved back toward his sister, stumbling and sitting hard against the wall.

Grunting, panting, he closed his eyes a moment. "Not…_weak_…" he snarled faintly to himself, before he opened his eyes again. Reaching over, he pulled Eír down onto his lap, cradling her as his head sagged.

"_Protect her…"_

* * *

Eír woke some hours later, feeling dizzy, achy, disoriented. She groaned faintly, her fingers shifting against something hard and damp. Confused, her lavender eyes fluttered open and she tried to orient on her surroundings.

A shuttle? What was she doing on a shuttle?

Her hand questing up she grimaced as she touched the wound on her chest, coughing a little as memory returned. Shepard and Liara had shot her. Had they gotten away? Were they dead?

Her fingers briefly touched the gash on her face and she scowled, head spinning as she shifted a little, trying to sit up. It was then she noticed she was actually on her brother's lap.

_He must have carried me off the station_, she thought, brows knitting as she touched his face. "Thug?"

His head was hanging, eyes closed. She realized he was covered in blood, sitting in a veritable lake of the stuff, spotted with wounds. The resultant rush of adrenaline cleared the remaining fuzz from her head. Sitting up she cupped his face, terror on hers.

"_Thug!_"

"Hnnnn," he murmured softly, barely more than a breath. His bright green eyes were dulled and misty as he managed to lift his lids a little. "Eír…"

"Do not worry," she gasped, stroking his jaw and forehead with shaking hands. "We will get you back to the cruiser and you will be fine-"

"No…" he mumbled.

"_Yes_!" she insisted. "Thug, you will be treated, and you will be fine! I will _not_ let that bitch take you too-"

"_No_," he said again, weakly reaching up and grasping her hand. "Shepard…didn't. Already got you back to the ship. Illusive Man…wanted the cinch. Said we were useless now."

"He said…said _what_?"

"Doesn't matter," he murmured. Lifting a hand, he gestured weakly at the helm. "I set a course for Tuchanka. You are clan Dundrin. My brothers…are _your_ brothers."

"Thug, _stop it_," Eír ordered, her lungs feeling as if they had been narrowed to straws, her throat thick and hot with acid.

The krogan's eyelids fluttered a little, sagging, and he grinned, showing blood-stained teeth. "I will find him," he promised. "He tried to hurt you but I stopped him. The pyjak-coward. I _will_ find him and tear him apart with my own hands."

"You _will_," she agreed frantically. "We _both_ will. We will stand together, Eír and Thug. We will stand together and we will make him pay."

"Hnn."

His head tipped forward again, his eyes unfocusing first with thoughts of the Illusive Man's glorious death –and then with the reality of his own. Eír shook her head, gripping his plates, her still weak and aching body trembling.

"Thug?"

The big krogan boy didn't stir, even when she shook him forcefully, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Thug, _no_…Thug, do not leave me too. Please…_please_, do not leave me _too_!"

No response. Her brother and protector was gone. Sagging in a sob, her forehead pressed against his for a moment before she let out a scream of rage and heart-ache. Gripping his head, she hauled it forward and slammed it back against the wall.

"_**You cannot leave me too**_!" she wailed. "They cannot take _**everyone**_ away from me! _Thug_!"

Lost, alone, deep in the silence of cold space, the shuttle kept on its pre-programmed way, it's lone occupant's cries left unheard.

* * *

"Hey, Captain," Cortez greeted as Shepard stepped off the lift, giving her a half-smile before he inclined his head toward the group gathered in the middle of the cargo bay. "Those are some seriously talented kids."

"Best biotic students in the galaxy," she replied, half-shrugging as she drew to a halt. "Or so I hear."

Jack was putting the students through their paces…_lightly_, of course. Practicing heavy biotics on a ship with even novice students was just asking for trouble, and these were the advanced class. Del watched her old friend striding back and forth, correcting technique, and couldn't help the smirk.

_Jack, a __**teacher**__…who'd have ever thought…_

"They sure look like it to me," he agreed. "Heard a rumor that their instructor used to be on your crew."

"You heard right. Jack and I went up against the Collectors together. She's a seriously heavy hitter when she wants to be."

"I hear that. There anyone you used to run with that _isn't_ scary as shit?"

She laughed, the sound fading after a moment into a puzzled hum as she actually thought it over. "Huh. No, I don't think so, actually. They're _all_ terrifying."

Then she snapped her fingers. "Ah. _Except_ Joker."

The pilot grinned at her, then nodded politely as Jack headed their direction, leaving the kids to practice their biotic 'juggling' on their own.

"Hey, Shepard," she greeted. "Didn't think you and Blue were going to come up for air long enough to say hello."

"Can't help it, Jack, I like her more than you," Shepard joked.

"My heart's eternally broken, I'm sure," Jack said sarcastically. "It true about EDI's new body?"

"It's true. You should have seen Joker's face when he saw her. We're gonna need extra mops to clean the drool off the floor-plates at the helm."

"Yeah, I bet."

"Kids doing ok?"

"They're doing pretty good. Prangley is still fucking sloppy on his barriers. Actually, Shepard, if you don't mind, they'd like to see you."

"See me?" she asked, startled.

"Yeah. For some strange fucking reason they _seem_ to think you're some kind of bad-ass hero."

Shepard looked at her with a withering expression, and Jack shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know where they got that idea either. Fucking _pathetic_, you ask me."

"Love you too, fucker," Shepard retorted, then stepped around her and headed for the kids. Jack grinned and fell in behind her.

As they approached, everything grew silent, the flashes of biotics fading away as all eyes turned toward them. Clearing her throat, Shepard nodded as she drew to a halt.

"Good morning."

A faint rumbling of 'good morning's filled the air, and Jack snorted. "_That's_ the best you can do? Captain Shepard said _good morning_!"

"_**Good morning, Captain**_!" the students declared loudly, hands snapping up into salutes. Shepard chuckled, returning it.

"At ease," she said. "You guys are quite impressive. I heard from Liara and Garrus that you held your own against those Cerberus troops, and Ms. Nought tells me that the Alliance has been considering using you for front-line support."

The students grinned, drawing up and exchanging happy glances, while Jack glared at Shepard. Del ignored her, knowing the indignation was over the 'Ms. Nought'.

"We'll be arriving at the Citadel tomorrow," Shepard continued. "An Alliance liaison there will meet with Sanders and it will be decided where they are sending you."

"Ma'am?" one boy asked, lifting a hand timidly. When Shepard nodded at him he cleared his throat. "Do…we have any news about the war ma'am? I mean, about Earth?"

"There's news coming in all the time…some verified, most not," Shepard told them. "For obvious reasons I can't tell you everything, but I'm not going to lie to you. It's a grim situation. Some would say it's a hopeless situation."

"And…you?" The girl who'd introduced herself on the shuttle as Rodriguez, ventured. "Would _you_ say it was hopeless?"

Shepard looked at the eyes fixed on her, at the faces doing their best to hide their fear, their uncertainty.

_These kids shouldn't be worried about a war, about fighting for their own lives. They should be studying, being with their friends, falling in love, getting stupid…they should be __**living**__._

"No," she said firmly. "In my experience, _nothing_ is hopeless, because no one can take hope away from you unless you _let_ them. Yeah, the Reapers are powerful. Yeah, it doesn't seem like there's a way to win. Well, _that_ is a lie. Anything that lives can die. These _things_ can die. I've _seen_ them die. You kids stick together, watch each other's backs. You _listen_ to Jack. Most of all, you stay strong, you hold on to hope, and you don't quit. You do _that_, and these Reapers don't stand a chance."

* * *

Moving into the CIC, Shepard was almost instantly bombarded with reports and information. Chakwas had cleared her for full duty again and they were less than an hour out from the Citadel. Striding off the lift, she was immediately handed a data pad by Haley, and as she skimmed over it, Traynor approached and handed her a second.

"We've gotten answers from the Illuminated Primacy, from the Protectorate, and the salarians," she supplied even as Shepard glanced over it.

"Nothing from the asari or the elcor?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing concrete yet, ma'am."

"The volus are more than willing to cooperate," Del murmured as she read the report. "That's good, but the hanar…they can't give me a straight answer, they want me to speak to their ambassador _personally_?"

She scowled, nodding as she thrust the pad back at Traynor. "Contact their offices. We'll be on the Citadel anyway. I'll drag the damned hanar ambassador to the summit by its tentacles if I have to. Any answer from sector 85?"

"No, Captain," Traynor admitted. "I have been sending the signal to that location every hour per your request, but we have received nothing back."

"Keep it up. Let me know the instant anything pings. Notify the Primarch that the volus and the salarians are confirmed for the summit, and that I'm working on the hanar personally."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Haley, have Garrus trim the output on the main guns, they're showing a .2 bleed," she told the sergeant, handing his pad back to him as well as she headed toward the helm. "And tell him if _I_ noticed and he _didn't_, he's sleeping on the damn job!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Walking up behind Joker, she couldn't help but note that his eyes were on EDI, who was standing a few feet away at a secondary console. She seemed to be idle, unmoving…it seemed she had 'parked' the chassis for the time being.

Stopping behind his chair she sharply cleared her throat, reveling in the resulting jump of surprise.

"_Jesus_, Captain!"

"I'm pretty sure our navigation protocols aren't written on EDI's new ass, Joker," Shepard said sharply.

"Uh, no ma'am!"

EDI turned her head. "I could do so if you would like," she offered. "It would be an efficient-"

"_No_, EDI," Del snorted. "Why are you just standing there anyway? I thought you were parked?"

"I was. It takes little effort to reintegrate or depart from this platform. Joker wished me to park here. He said having me within visual range was good for his morale."

"I _bet_ he did," Shepard scowled as the pilot ducked his head a little, cheeks flushing red. "You feel like actually _working_ a little now, Flight Lieutenant?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. When we reach the Citadel, dock us near the Embassies if you can. I'm trying to get in with the hanar ambassador. I'll be meeting with Sanders and the Alliance Liaison first off to transfer Jack and the students, then I'll be heading to Huerta."

"Understood, ma'am. I have to say though, it's been kind of nice having Jack back on board. It's a pity she can't stay."

"Really? I thought you two didn't really get along?"

"We don't, but I feel safer somehow with her squatting down in the sub-deck. She's like a…little, mean, troll-biotic security system."

"I'll make sure I tell her that."

"Please don't. My bones break easily enough as it is, she'll turn them into powder."

"Maybe then you'll keep your mind on your duty. EDI is not to be gawked at, Joker. She's part of this crew, not a 'morale booster'."

He colored again, nodding. "Aye, ma'am."

* * *

The light from dozens of screens, most scrolling with almost constant newsfeeds, played over the asari's face as Liara seated herself at her new desk. Glyph had organized all her most pressing business into a neat list, and she accessed it, reading intently.

Most people didn't quite comprehend the amount of power that the _average_ information broker actually wielded, let alone _**the**_ Shadow Broker. Given only a few minutes, Liara could destroy colonies, start wars, alter delivery plans of munitions, resources, raw materials, or listen in to the most clandestine meetings in the top tiers of government.

Along with the power, however, came an incredible amount of work…_and_ self-temperance. It would be all too easy to give in to corruption, the absolute power at her fingers a force that could quite easily be turned toward ill, toward pain. Thus far, Liara had managed to resist that lure, to maintain her own moral integrity. She had never used the Broker network for dark purposes.

Not until now.

Selecting a contact, she accessed it. A slight pause, then a masculine voice spoke. "_This is Agent Tedla_."

"This is the Broker," she replied, knowing her voice was being masked and distorted automatically. "Report."

"_We have located the target_," he answered. "_He was moved to a secure Alliance holding facility outside of Burbank. The city itself was hit but the facility remains intact_."

"Then he's alive?"

"_Yes. However the Reapers are pressing dangerously close to the facility. They're trying to organize transport of the prisoners to an alternate location but as you know, the situation on Earth is dicey. It is unknown at this time if transport will be successful before the facility is overrun."_

"Can you get him out of there?"

"_Hard to say for certain, but I think our chances are pretty good. Say around, 80%. Normally a facility like this, I'd be more cautious. Right now, however, security is in chaos, communications are a mess, and with the Reaper threat no one knows what anyone else is doing. If we're careful, I think we can retrieve him."_

"I want him removed as quickly as possible, and taken to Kernick. Notify me when he is in your custody and I will give you a contact. He is to be turned over to this contact immediately and you will receive your pay at that time. There will be a sizable bonus if he is…_unmarked_."

"_Understood. We'll handle him with kid gloves. Not a hair will be out of place_."

"Good. I expect to hear from you within the next thirty-six solar hours. Shadow Broker out."

She cut the contact, then sat back in her chair, laying a hand lightly over her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"Are you quite well, Broker?" Glyph inquired politely.

"Yes, Glyph…I am fine."

"To inform you, we are in docking maneuvers now for the Citadel," it continued evenly. "Captain Shepard intends to meet with the Alliance liaison, and then move on to Huerta Memorial."

"She wants to see Ash," Liara whispered softly.

"That is a reasonable conclusion. She is also attempting to make meeting arrangements with the hanar ambassador."

"Must be for the summit. The only reason she would have to see the ambassador is if the Primacy were balking at attending for some reason. Glyph, pull up all information you have on the hanar ambassador, and find me any communications in the Primacy regarding the war summit."

"Yes, Broker."

"Forward any relevant data to my omni-tool. I want to go with Shepard to see Ashley. If Agent Tedla calls back with a report, notify me instantly. If it is a positive one, direct him to our contact on Kernick."

"Yes, Broker."

Liara rose from her seat, grabbing her coat and pulling it on. As she fastened it however, she paused, her eyes distant a moment. "Also, Glyph…see if you can't get any information on Dr. Mordin Solus on Sur'Kesh…focus on any reports containing the name _Rasler, Sydney_ or _Navis, Deirdre_…human and asari, respectively. I…want to know how they are doing."

"Yes, Broker."

"Automated processes until I return, Glyph."

* * *

The hospital seemed much busier than it had just days ago, as Liara and Shepard stepped into its large waiting room. Hurrying forms, clamoring voices, the smell of medicine, medi-gel, antiseptic, blood and suffering of every type, formed an almost symphonic patois of chaos around them as they entered.

"It is already this bad, and this war has hardly even begun," Liara mentioned sadly as they took it in. Shepard couldn't help but notice that most of the people there seemed to be human, more than one wearing the uniform of the Alliance.

As they half-scanned the crowd, heading to Reception to check in, a sudden voice called out. "_Commander_! Commander Shepard!"

The pair turned as an asari woman hurried up toward them through the crowd. She had a little girl on her hip, the child probably just under a year old, with brilliant pale green eyes. Shepard only had time to think that the woman looked slightly familiar before she reached them, suddenly flinging an arm around the human and hugging her tightly.

"Friend of yours, Captain?" Liara asked with an uplifted brow. Shepard, blinking in shock, stared at her a moment over the woman's shoulder.

"Uh…do I _know_ you?"

"Yes," the asari said, drawing back. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot humans are not so open in their affection. This one apologi—ooh, I did it again. I'm sorry. My father was hanar, and sometimes when I get flustered, I…never mind. Yes, we know each other Comm-…wait, she called you Captain? You had a promotion?"

"I did," Shepard told her, still confused. "I'm sorry, you say we know each other? I don't-"

"Vivek Komaravolu," the woman told her. "We met in the clinic on Omega? You saved my little girl."

Shepard's expression went from confusion to surprised clarity as her eyes widened. "Oh! Of course! Is this…?"

"This is Nora," Vivek smiled proudly, taking the little girl's hand and bouncing it affectionately. "She's doing so wonderfully, thanks to you."

The little girl ducked her head slightly against her mother's shoulder, tucking her thumb shyly into her mouth. Shepard smiled, a warm and surprisingly soft expression crossing her face. "Well, hello, Nora! My, aren't you getting big!"

"She's growing like a weed," Vivek beamed. "I can't…I still can't thank you _enough_ for what you did, Captain. Every day I look at her and I am…I am just so blessed you were able to save her."

"I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time," Shepard told her. Grinning, she made a goofy face at the baby, who giggled and ducked against her mother's shoulder again, giving a charming little grin around her thumb.

Liara's smile had gone warm and soft as well, watching her love as she interacted with the baby. She felt her heart ache a little.

_She doubts herself so much but she really would make such a wonderful parent. Just look at her. Her entire being glows! Will __**we**__ ever have this? A sweet little girl, the warmth of being a family, of being together?_

"Well, thank you again," Vivek told her, reaching out and gripping Shepard's arm lightly. "I have been following the news, the reports of this war and…I just want you to know, that you are in my thoughts and prayers. What you are doing….well. When this war is done, I have a feeling millions of other mothers are going to hold millions of other daughters tight, and thank you in their prayers for saving them, as well."

"I-…thank you," Shepard managed, clearly flustered. Vivek smiled, then tilted her head toward the little asari.

"Well, I am sure you are extremely busy, I won't take up any more of your time. Can you say 'bye bye' to Shepard, baby?" she asked Nora, wiggling her fingers as she clearly expected the child to wave. Instead, to the surprise of all three women, the girl popped her thumb out of her mouth and leaned forward sharply on Vivek's hip, arms shooting outward.

Shepard leaned forward a little as the girl reached for her, planting her chubby hands on Shepard's face and planting a large, dramatic kiss on her cheek. Shepard's entire face seemed to light up a little, and she stared at the child as she sat back.

"Bubye," Nora declared, before popping her thumb back in her mouth again. Vivek kissed her forehead with a smile and then turned, heading off into the crowd again. Shepard and Liara watched them go before the former lifted a hand, smiling slightly as she touched her cheek.

Noticing Liara looking at her, she cleared her throat, dropping her hand again. "What?" she asked sternly.

The asari only smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N:

Ok, I'm putting a few things out there, mostly because one at least ties directly into this chapter. As you know, I like to write just left-of-canon, but I usually try and keep established characters 'in character' the way Bioware intended them as much as possible. Usually my left-of-canon steps are with scenes and plot rather than people.

Until now.

Two characters in ME3 I simply did not like were Diana Allers and Kai Leng. Kai Leng had potential but he was not done well. Diana seemed so flat and uninteresting and ultimately, made no difference to the story whatsoever, save some war assets. So…I have made some decisions.

At first, it was my intent to fix the problems with Kai Leng and make him a more real, more threatening nemesis rather than the weird, incompetent stalker-boy he seemed to be. Instead, as some of you have suspected, I've decided to do away with him altogether.

There will be no Kai Leng in DE. For the handful that actually like him…my apologies, but it's done. This means, of course, that certain scenes (Cerberus infiltration of the Citadel, the confrontation at the Illusive Man's base) will be quite different than they actually were in game, though the major points of them will remain intact.

As for Diana…I decided to keep her, or rather, the fact she's a reporter for ANN that is on the _Normandy_, and the name/appearance. However, I am making her my own, making my own history and personality for her. So please…no pointing out that Diana Allers didn't do that/wouldn't do that/this doesn't fit with her established history…I already know that. It's done on purpose. Again, for the few that like the character, my apologies, but I'm not changing it. If she and her plot come out the way they're murmuring to me, hopefully you will not be disappointed.

Now let's begin.

* * *

"Did you know they say quarians are the top tech experts in the galaxy?" asked the woman near the window.

Shepard's expressionless face shone with the inner light that formed it, as soft and fluid as liquid crystal. "That is very interesting," she stated, her voice just faintly touched with an artificial edge.

The woman turned away from gazing out onto the bustling Citadel docks, looking at Shepard with an uplifted brow. "Well, I suppose that depends on your perspective. I find it less _interesting_ and more _useful_. It's about the only thing those suit-rats _are_ useful for…their tech. More specifically, their _AI_ tech."

"AI's violate Alliance protocol and law in Council space," the Shepard VI noted. Allers smirked a little.

She had purchased the copy of the VI years ago -mostly as a novelty- after Shepard's 'supposed' death. Its voice algorithms had been hideous, something akin to a gnome with a head cold, but she had managed to tweak it so it sounded more or less like the _real_ Shepard.

Now, the VI had a far more concrete purpose than mere _novelty_.

"Why yes, VI, indeed they _do_. Imagine that."

Reaching out she stroked the image's cheek. Thanks to hard-light technology and tight-beam manipulated barrier projections, she could actually _touch_ it. The sensation was much like pressing on soft glass, super-smooth and cool and yet fairly yielding. A faint vibration tingled along her fingertips, growing stronger with pressure.

Dropping her hand she activated her omni-tool, selecting a few files. Over the last year, she had done a series of stories for ANN on the quarians, specifically tracking down young individuals on Pilgrimage to interview. Of course, it hadn't been long before they started to be recalled to the Flotilla, but she was able to talk at length with three or four of them…ingratiate herself, _befriend_ them.

Ostensibly, the reports had been designed to draw galactic interest to the quarian species, to show them and their culture how they _really_ were, casting a more positive light on them than just a nomadic, mistrusted species that hid behind environmental suits. She'd actually won an award for her work.

Of course, the stories were a secondary concern, idle 'feel good' fluff that painted fake gold onto aliens that were little more than thieving, lying, and lazy. She felt no qualms whatsoever about using her reports to steal from _them_, using a specialized algorithm a friend had developed for her to extract data from the omni-tools of those she interviewed.

It was so _interesting_ the things quarians stored in their omni-tools, thinking their superior encryption protocols kept them more or less safe from hackers.

_Just another example of alien arrogance_, she thought, perusing the files. Not that she found any actual AI tech in the data she mined, of course. Even quarians, it seemed, weren't _that_ stupid. However since they used their omni-tools in part as back-up regulators for their enviro-suits, she was able to glean a great deal of advanced quarian programming tech. Tech that, in the hands of the right people along with the right amount of _creds_, had been most elegantly repurposed to interface with actual AI protocols.

Very _specific_ AI protocols, actually.

_It pays to have friends_, she smiled. _Friends in politics, friends in money, friends in programming, and most importantly, friends in __**Cerberus**__._

The higher-ups of Cerberus would be quite put out if they knew that a simple Alliance reporter had been able to bribe some of their own programmers for information regarding the _Normandy_ SR2 schematics and its very _special_ AI, EDI. It stood as proof that no organization- private, public, or political- was air-tight.

With a touch of her finger, she transferred the file information to the VI standing in front of her. "Shepard, implement program merge 3 beta 4 with new uploaded data," she ordered.

"Processing," Shepard noted. "Upload complete…program merge beginning. Program merge complete. Implement?"

"Begin program."

The Shepard VI began to blink rapidly, fluttering on and off and fuzzing with interference. The smile that crossed Diana Allers' lips was all but glowing with charity.

"EDI, might I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Ms. Allers," the AI said politely, the blue orb of its virtual interface popping up. "What is the nature of your query?"

"There seems to be something wrong with my VI. Could you have a look at her for me?"

"Certainly. Stand by. Examining program for corruptions and viral interference. Processing."

Allers waited only half a beat. When the VI's eyes flashed once indicating the connection had been established, she ordered, "VI, begin _Gaslight_."

The virus, specifically designed to integrate with certain functions within EDI, transferred instantly from VI to AI. As all the functions it was designed to effect were extremely low priority, and as it was tuned specifically to her programming thanks to the information from the very Cerberus techs who helped to create her, the virus moved through her firewalls, past her securities, and into her systems integration without a single alert, not even to the AI's conscious mind…or whatever passed for it.

After a moment, EDI spoke. "There is simply a minor software fluctuation in the projection algorithm. I have corrected. Your VI is now stable. Was there anything else you required?"

"No, thank you EDI. You have been extremely helpful. I owe you more than I can ever say."

"You are very welcome, Ms. Allers. Logging you out."

* * *

The last person Shepard ever expected to see exiting Ashley's room was Donnel Udina. The human Councilor looked moody, distracted- more so than usual- and blinked in surprise as he saw Shepard and Liara heading his way.

"Captain," he greeted neutrally, quickly schooling his expression.

"Udina," she replied just as neutrally, lifting a brow as he stepped past her and continued on down the corridor, before exchanging a look with the puzzled asari at her side.

Giving a mental shrug, she continued on, tentatively rapping lightly at the door before it slid open.

The bio-bed was positioned beside a window, affording its occupant a view of the lower Presidium lakes. Fake sunshine poured in, giving the tableau an oddly serene feeling-…for being a hospital room.

Ashley was awake, her face still a riot of half-healed bruises. As they stepped inside, her dark eyes shifted from the window to the pair in the door, before she managed a weak smile.

"Hey," she greeted, and shifted slightly as if intending to push herself up.

"No, hold still," Shepard ordered with a frown as she strode over to the bedside. "Don't strain yourself."

"Still always worrying about the other guy, hey Skipper?" Ash chuckled weakly, then nodded at Liara. "Hey, you."

"Hello, Ash," Liara said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, bit like I've been hit by a MAKO, but all right considering. Doctors keep testing my spatial awareness, my cognitive processes and all that scientific neurology crap. They've got me fitting pegs into holes and working on logic puzzles half the day."

"That's what happens when you suffer severe neurological trauma," Shepard pointed out. "Course, your brain was _already_ damaged to begin with so, I hope they took that into account."

"Ha, ma'am, ha," Ash smirked.

"We brought you a gift," Liara said, pulling out a small poetry book they'd purchased on the way to the hospital, offering it. Ash took it, brows knitting as she ran a finger over the actual paper pages, the leather binding, and the words filigreed on the front.

"This-…must have cost you a fortune," she said, brows knitting. "I-I don't know what to say."

"_Thank you _is the usual response," Shepard teased. "Figured you'd be going kind of stir crazy in here and could use the distraction."

"Thank you," Ashley murmured, fingering the binding a moment. She licked her lips a moment, her eyes suddenly shifting over to Liara. "You mind if I talk to the Skipper alone a moment, Li?"

"Of course not," Liara told her, reaching out and lightly touching her arm. "I am glad you will be all right, Ashley. I was worried…we both were."

"Thank you, Li," Ashley said, reaching up and taking her hand, giving it a weak squeeze.

"I will be just outside if you need me."

The asari slipped out, letting her fingers brush reassuringly over Shepard's arm as she stepped past. After she'd gone, Ash gestured toward a nearby chair, and Del pulled it over, sitting down.

"Udina seems a bit of an odd visitor," Shepard noted after a moment. "Didn't know you two were close."

"Please, I still think the man is a rat," Ashley told her. "He…wants me to be a Spectre, Shepard."

"Really?" Del grinned. "That's _great_, Ash. You'd make a fantastic Spectre."

"You think so?"

"C'mon, course I do. You're a damned fine soldier. I told Anderson after we first met that I wanted a dozen just like you, remember?"

"Yeah," she murmured, looking up at the ceiling. "I guess it's just a lot to adjust too. I figured the old family curse would stay with me forever, that I'd never even get above gunnery chief…especially after I got my unit killed. Now look at me. Commander Williams, with an offer to become the second human Spectre."

"You deserve it."

"I see you got yourself promoted to Captain," Ashley noted, her eyes shifting to the insignia on Shepard's uniform collar. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. I'm still trying to adjust to the idea."

"Listen…Skipper. I wanted to apologize, about the way I acted. Laying in this bed, it's done nothing if not give me a lot of time to think."

"Ash-"

"No, I have to say this," Williams told her. "You were the first person to believe in me. I mean, in the Alliance, outside my own family. You didn't care about my grandfather, about my family name, my shit assignments. You saw the soldier I was, the soldier I _could_ be, and you had faith in me. I looked up to you…you have no idea how much. When you died, it gutted me, Shepard. I…you know, I punched that reporter, what's her name? Al-Jilani."

"You did?"

"Yeah," Ash gave a weak chuckle. "It was right after your funeral. They had a eulogy service in a church on Robertson colony, before the public memorial service. Private, fairly small thing. I was there with Li. She was…I was afraid for her, Shepard, to be honest. She just kind of…_stood_ there, next to me. Wouldn't sit down, wouldn't leave my side, wouldn't talk. She seemed hollowed out. Didn't cry, just stared at the floor. That was the first time I remember thinking that you dying might actually kill her."

Shepard lowered her head, feeling heat tighten her throat, pricking behind her eyes. Hearing of Liara's pain at her loss was a gut-wrenching thing, and renewed the guilt in her gut at leaving her. It hadn't been her fault, perhaps…but she had left her alone, all the same.

"Bunch of reporters were gathered outside," Ash continued. "They let them in to the public memorial of course, couldn't keep them out-but they'd stopped them going in the church for the eulogy. Fucking vultures, and of course al-Jilani zeroed in on me and Li like a tactical nuke. She started in on the usual bullshit, I tossed out a couple of dirty looks and some 'no comments'."

She shook her head, a look of anger at the memory creasing her forehead. "Then she crossed the line. Since _I_ wasn't answering her she set her sights on Li."

She altered her voice to a mocking falsetto, mimicking Jilani. "'So, Dr. T'Soni, we all know this 'supposed' death of Shepard's is fake. When you see her, tell her she owes the public an explanation! The people would like to know _why_ she's hiding!"

On the word 'supposed', Ashley hooked her fingers in air quotes. Shepard gaped at her in horrified anger.

"She _didn't_!"

"Wasn't the worst of it. The look on Li's face…well. I started to steer her away but al-Jilani couldn't let it go. Barely had we turned our backs then she spat out, 'oh, and how _was_ the great Commander Shepard in bed?'"

Del's jaw dropped open a moment, before it slammed shut with an audible click. "You're fucking _kidding_ me! The _húli jïng_!" she growled.

"Wish I was. I don't even remember hitting her. She said that and the next thing I knew she was on the ground, two broken teeth, and my knuckles were bleeding." Her dark eyes shifted a bit, moving back to the ceiling. "Then the rumors started. That you really _did_ fake your death, that you were out on some undercover mission or playing merc somewhere, that you'd abandoned humanity…it all made me sick to hear it, Shepard. Fucking _sick_, to think they were smearing your name like that, after all you'd done."

Shepard sat back a little, looking toward the window, but said nothing.

"Then I find out you really _are_ alive, and when it sunk in all I could think of was the pain that Liara had gone through, that me, and Tali, and…your whole _crew_, had gone through. All I could think was that the rumors were true, that what al-Jilani had _said_ was true, and I hated it. I _hated_ that feeling, the thought that I had looked up to you so much and defended you so hard and you really _were_ alive the whole time. I hated _you_."

"Ash, you _know_ I wasn't alive. You _know_ I didn't abandon you, or Liara, or my crew."

"I know that _now_. Cerberus. Didn't make the pill any easier to swallow, just changed the flavor." She moved her eyes back to the Captain's. "I started thinking you weren't the Del Shepard I knew after all. Just a copy, a puppet. I couldn't trust you. I didn't…I couldn't _let_ myself trust you. I made excuses, and…"

She sighed, plucking at the edge of the blanket around her waist a moment before she continued. "Do you know what the last thing I remember is? Before I went unconscious?"

Shepard shook her head silently.

"You said, 'Put her down'," Ashley told her. "You had that...that no-nonsense, furious, bad-ass _Skipper_ tone in your voice. 'Put. Her. _Down_.' When you said that, I realized two things. The first one was that I _wasn't_ going to die, because I knew that _you_ wouldn't _let_ me die. I knew that you'd follow me right into Hell just to grab me by the ear and drag me back to be court-martialed for daring to die without permission."

Shepard couldn't help the laugh as Ash smirked and looked at her again. "And that made me realize the _second _thing. You really _were_ you. You really _were_ Del Shepard, you were just the same as you had _always_ been. I realized that you'd needed me; on Horizon, on Alchera, at the detention center. You _needed_ me- to _believe_ you at the very least- and I wasn't there for you. I didn't have your back, because I was so caught up in my own fears and doubts I couldn't see what should have been so damned obvious. So…I'm sorry, Skipper. I'm sorry I let you down."

"Ash, c'mon. You didn't let me down. It was all bullshit from the start. I shouldn't have acted the way I did on Horizon, in the boxing ring back on Earth. I mean, it was a pretty unbelievable thing, right? _I_ couldn't even believe it and I _lived_ it. Or…_died_ it. Whatever. Anyway, if _I_ couldn't accept it how could I expect anyone else to?"

"Anderson did," Ashley told her. "Liara did. Garrus. Even Tali, from what I understand. They all did what I failed to do."

"Ash-"

"No, it's ok. I'm a big girl. I can own my mistakes. I can admit it, Shepard. I failed you. It won't happen again."

Shepard looked down at her hands folded in her lap, then rubbed her lips a moment before she simply nodded. "So…we good?"

"Yeah, we're good, Skipper," Ash smiled weakly. "It's good to see you again. Good to see you and Liara together again. If you could have seen what I did after you left, I…Shepard, _never _doubt that woman loves you."

"I know she does," Shepard murmured quietly. Sitting up straighter, she took a deep breath, wiping her palms off on her thighs. "So. The Spectre thing. You gonna take it?"

"I haven't quite decided yet. It's…rather _huge_. I do keep going back to one thing, though."

"What's that?"

"How absolutely _stunning_ I will look on the posters."

Shepard laughed, shaking her head as Ashley grinned. "Yeah, you _definitely_ hit your head, Williams," she teased, then sobered. "Well, whatever your choice, I'm behind you. I think you'd make an incredible Spectre and, if for some reason you decide it isn't for you, well. _Normandy_ could always use an XO."

She rose, holding her hand out, and after a moment, Ashley took it. "Thank you, Skipper. That means a lot to me."

"You just get better. As a Spectre or on the _Normandy_, one thing is certain. This war needs you in it if we're going to beat the Reapers. So you just get _better_, dong ma?"

"I will, Shepard. I promise."

"Good. Rest up. I'll see you later, all right?"

As she stepped out of the room, Liara rose from where she'd been sitting in wait, walking over with a soft, wary expression. "Everything all right?" she asked, resting a hand on Del's shoulder. Shepard smiled a little, sliding an arm around her waist and hugging her close.

"Yeah…everything's great."

* * *

The tall flames crawled into the sky, thick black smoke smudging over blue, obscuring the hot Tuchankan sun. In the almost non-existent shade of the shuttle, Eír sat like a forgotten doll. One elbow rest upon her knee, her hand over her weary, aching eyes. Her other hand was limp beside her, the pistol loosely clasped in her fingers a heavy weight on the dirt.

A dozen feet away, her brother's body was lost in the heavy roil of orange, white, red and yellow.

She had landed…_somewhere_. There were ruins close, but then, that was what Tuchanka was: ruins, and desert. It had taken her most of the day to find enough dry wood to burn, and all of her not inconsiderable strength to drag her brother's remains to their final dispensation. Now she sat there, lifeless save her breathing, listening to the rumble of fire and smoke that ate away all that was left of her.

She remembered Gellian's funeral. Shrive and her mother and the doctor had sung an asari lament, a wordless flow of music meant to guide a fallen spirit to the side of Athame, to honor the life that it had lead. It seemed she could almost hear Shrive's voice lifted in that song, and her eyes grew damp. Lowering her hand, she watched the fire with unseeing eyes, humming faintly, trying to recall the sound of the lament.

Snagging the threads of it she tried to sing, but the sound was quickly lost in the ragged screams of rage and pain that erupted forth instead. Rocking forward on her knees, she cried out as loud as she was able, shrieking over and over again until her throat would no longer make sound, until her lungs ached with it.

Sagging forward her forehead touched the dry, hot dirt and she sobbed.

_Better I had never been born. Better if Mother had never made me_.

A different kind of fury took her then, and she sat back up with a growl of rage, clawing and tearing futilely at the cinch around her waist. Nothing she did, of course, loosened or budged it, and, exhausted, she slumped back against the shuttle again.

Almost as if they had a mind of their own, her fingers slipped out and curled around the butt of the pistol again, dragging it to her side. It rested there a moment, before it lifted, wavering in the air slightly…then steadying as the barrel rest against her temple.

"Better if I had never lived," she whispered hoarsely, her finger trembling on the trigger.

After a long moment, the finger loosened again, the pistol dropping from her hand to thump on the dirt. Curling up on her side, Eír wound her arms around her head and cried in weak, shuddering gasps until her exhaustion won out, and she fell to sleep.

In her dream she was back in the athenaeum, the smell of books and flowers and rich, heady spices filling the air. Her fingers drifted over the richly polished wood of one of the tables, and she could feel the faint imperfections in its surface, the old knicks and dings of a millennium of use.

Drawing to a halt, she lowered her head, then felt a soft touch on the side of her neck, lightly drifting up the folds of her skin. She shuddered, not daring to turn.

"You are not really here," she said softly, feeling her heart ache all over again. "This is a dream."

"Then what does it matter if you look at me?" Shrive's voice whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"No, I cannot," Eír replied thickly. "I will not break my heart all over again. You are not real. You are dead. You, Mother, Thug…you are _all dead_!"

"Love, I am a _part_ of you, and I will always _be_ a part of you," Shrive insisted gently. "Do you not remember? Our hearts, our souls, they are one. Nothing can sever that, not even death."

"Go away!"

"I know that you are hurting, Eír," Shrive murmured. "This is Gellian's poison-"

"No! It may have started that way, but this is _my_ anger now! It is _mine_, and it is the only thing I have left!"

"Do not fall into that trap, sweet thing," Shrive warned. "You are _not_ what your mother made you. You are my sweet Eír, my love, my heart. Shepard is not at fault for my death. She is not at fault for Thug. You will only bring yourself pain and harm to follow his path. You are _more_ than this, Eír. Was that not why we left Tuchanka? So that we could live, _be_, as we chose to be? This is _not_ what you want, so why then are you choosing it?"

"You do not understand," Eír was trembling, her hands clenched at her sides. "You do not understand. How am I supposed to live? How am I supposed to go on without you? Why did you leave me? How could you _leave me_? Shepard must pay for what she did! She must _pay_ for taking you away from me!"

There was a shift. Eír jolted, weakly rebelling as an arm reached around her, firmly gripping her shoulder. Shrive turned her, forcing her to face her. Instinctively, Eír ducked her head, closing her eyes in denial, but the other girl would not have it. A soft hand slid under her chin, lifting it. Tentatively, tears breaking free to slide down her cheeks, Eír opened her eyes.

There was Shrive.

She looked just as she had in life, just as beautiful, just as real. Eír could see the flecks of color in her eyes, the gentle curve of her cheek and chin. She could see the love and worry reflecting in her gaze. She could even smell her, like flower spice on the wind.

With a gasping sob, she threw her arms around her love and held her tightly, grasping her desperately.

"She did not take me from you," Shrive whispered to her. "I am _here_, Eír. I will _always_ be here. No one can sunder the soul that has been bound to another. Part of me is within you, as part of you is within me. We are one, love."

"What can I do? What am I supposed to do? I've lost everything," Eír sobbed. Shrive hushed her softly, a hand lightly stroking over her crest. It felt so real. All of it…so clear and so _real_.

Had she pulled that trigger? Was she actually dead? Or was this truly only a dream? She prayed if it were that she would never wake from it.

"Only when we have lost everything, can we _gain_ everything," Shrive whispered. "Do not lose yourself to this hate, to your vengeance. Cleanse yourself of this agony, Eír. You are destined for great things, and Shepard is not your enemy. Do not mourn for me, or for Thug. We will always be with you, as close as a breath, as a dream. You must forgive her, and you must forgive _yourself_, Eír, or the prison your Mother laid for you will only grow colder, tighter. You are too beautiful to be caged. You _need_ to be free."

She drew back just enough. Eír could taste her own tears on her lips as Shrive kissed her, tender and lingering, before lightly resting her cheek against Eír's. "I am always with you," she whispered one last time, her form seeming to melt, to vanish into warmth and air and the smell of flowers, laying like a blanket over Eír's skin, enveloping her spirit.

She woke still curled on the hard ground, her face mussed where dirt had stuck to tears. The pyre had mostly burned down, little more than embers and smoldering ash remaining. The day had grown late, the shadows long, the sun low and crimson.

Shifting into a sit, Eír swept a hand over her cheeks, before she picked up the pistol, regarding it as if she had never seen one before. It settled in her lap as her eyes roamed from the pyre to the broken landscape, the distant rocks and tortured mountains.

Getting to her feet, she vanished into the shuttle, the sun shifting notably in the sky before she emerged again with a small pack, the pistol strapped to her side. Walking over to the pyre, she crouched and touched the ashes sadly, blacking her fingertips before pressing them lightly to her forehead.

"Rest well, Thug. May you be welcomed with the greatest of krogan warriors in whatever worlds move past this life."

Straightening to her feet, she closed her eyes a moment as the evening breeze circled her feet, stirring the embers a little and brushing over her cheeks. It smelled of spicy flowers and the heated soil of the desert.

Setting her jaw, her lavender eyes lost in shadow, Eír turned and started away from both shuttle, from pyre, and from ruins. Before her, the vastness of the Tuchanka desert spread like a bloody cloak, her long shadow trailing away behind her before the wind swept her footsteps clean.

* * *

_húli jïng = bitch_


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Sorry no chapter yesterday, was not at work. There will, however, be a chapter on Saturday to make up for it.

Also, along that same vein, my work schedule may be changing for an indefinite period of time. It will go from M-F to Tu-Sat, so chapters will be posted on those days, with Sunday and Monday set aside for my original work. So, same amount of posts a week, just on differing days.

Thank you!

* * *

"This one regrets what is happening on Earth, and on Palaven, but this one's people wish to remain neutral."

"_Neutral_? There is no 'neutral' in this war, Ambassador," Shepard insisted. "What is happening on Earth and Palaven will happen _everywhere_. The Reapers _will_ go to Kahje, be it a week from now or a few decades…they _will _destroy your people."

"The people do not believe that the Reapers will have cause to destroy us," he replied. "We pose no threat to them."

"It is not about threat," Liara interjected. "It is about _extinction_. The Reapers have a single goal…to wipe out all advanced organic life. They do not care if that life fights back or lies down before their guns. They will destroy Kahje and the hanar the same as the rest of us."

"This one believes the Reapers are an advanced synthetic life-form, with technology far greater than our own. Is this one correct?"

"Yes," Shepard said warily. "The Reapers have tech that is far greater than anything we've seen beyond the mass relays and the Citadel."

"This one believes, such technology could not be possible without advanced civilization. This one believes, an advanced civilization- by its very definition-has done away with barbarity. If a party is peaceful and poses no threat, it would be barbarity that would cause an enemy to destroy it."

Liara could see the barely schooled frustration on Shepard's face as the captain took a deep breath. She did not blame her. Such ideology might be romantic, but the Reapers weren't going to stop just because the hanar put up no resistance…it would only facilitate their slaughter.

"Ambassador," Shepard managed to speak calmly. "I understand that you're afraid, that your people are afraid. The Reapers are greatly advanced, but they are _not_ a civilization as you know it, and they do _not_ fit into our understanding or our guidelines as to what defines such a thing. They see us, _all_ the races of the galaxy, as pests to be eliminated. They are cleaning house, Ambassador…and when you are cleaning house, you hardly care about what happens to the spiders or the ants that have crawled into it…you simply crush them. Whether or not they try to run or they stay still and allow it."

The hanar's colors shifted a little, thoughtfully, and Liara spoke gently. "People are dying, Ambassador. Unless we all work together, we cannot stop the Reapers. This is not a problem for part of the galaxy, for a race or two…this will end everything, for _everyone_, unless it is stopped. If you care about your people, you must help us, or there will be no one left to help _you_ when the time comes."

"My people are not warriors," it said grudgingly after a moment. "My people have some fleets and some small defenses but we are not war-makers. We are not soldiers."

"We don't just need war-makers and soldiers," Shepard replied. "We need scientists, tacticians, strategists, engineers, resources, supplies. If your people can provide the background support, _we_ can provide the frontline defense, and stop these things before they have a chance to even _breathe_ on Kahje."

The hanar seemed to contemplate this a moment, before responding. "This one understands. This one will have to confer with the Primacy and its people. This one will present your words."

"I appreciate that, but we need confirmation for the summit. We need a hanar delegate to chair."

"This one can make no promises. This one only reflects the wishes of the Primacy. This one can only present your words for decision. This one will forward your message as quickly as it is able. This one will provide you your answer soon."

"I suppose that's all we can ask. Thank you for your time, Ambassador. I hope to hear from the Primacy soon, and I hope their answer is an affirmative one."

"This one urges you to go in peace."

As Liara and Del left the office, the human woman let out a growling sigh. "Fuck," she grumbled.

"I know."

"They really think that by not making a stir the Reapers are just going to ignore them?"

"They have no real concept of what is truly happening," Liara agreed. "Fortunately, the Ambassador seemed somewhat swayed. We can only hope that the Primacy agrees and at least sends _someone_ to the summit, or perhaps put some resources toward building the Crucible."

"Well, it's out of our hands now. The summit has to go forward with whatever races we can get," Shepard said.

"Have you had any luck contacting the Rachni?" Liara asked. Shepard shook her head.

"We've been sending regular pings but so far, no one's picked up the phone. I'm starting to worry they got themselves into more trouble than they could handle somewhere."

"It took the full force of the krogan to eliminate them the last time," Liara pointed out. "I do not think it would be an easy thing to push them to extinction again. Their lack of response is puzzling, however."

Shepard shrugged, before reaching out and taking the asari's hand as they walked. "Maybe it's nothing so insidious. Maybe they just decided to take their promise to vanish to the extreme, and left the galaxy altogether."

Liara smiled with an amused shake of her head. "We are yet centuries, if not millennia, away from the kind of technology it would take to travel between _galaxies_," she said. "If the Rachni made such a breakthrough so swiftly I would be astonished. Even the Reapers, it seems, must linger fairly close to the Milky Way in dark space during their dormant cycle. "

"Yeah, seems crazy, huh?" Shepard smiled. "No…if they're out there, we'll find them. We've just gotta keep pushing forward, that's all."

As they headed, hand in hand, back toward the Normandy's dock, they fell into silence. What few traces of amusement had shown on Shepard's face swiftly faded into that brooding, tense expression she seemed to wear so often lately. Liara knew it was the weight of all that was happening, her worry for Earth and her people, the overwhelming impossibility of trying to unite the races…peoples who had been at odds with each other for thousands upon thousands of years.

It was too big a burden for any one person to bear…even for someone like Shepard. Liara felt that familiar flutter of fear in her stomach…a fear she would not let herself consciously acknowledge but one that refused to be banished all the same.

The fear that this war would end up taking Del away from her again. This time, forever.

After a moment, she realized with some surprise that Shepard was humming. She stared at her a moment before Del noticed, breaking off the sound with a puzzled look.

"What?"

"You were humming," Liara said with a faint smile. "I did not recognize the tune."

"Oh. Yeah, it's…just something I've been batting around in my head, on and off."

"You are writing a song?" Liara asked with surprise. "That is wonderful! I would love to hear it."

"Well, it's…it's not really a _song_, not yet. Just got a bit of the tune worked out, that's all. Might never even finish it, it just kind of helps me to think." She shrugged, then gave Liara's hand a light squeeze. "Might even be about someone special."

Liara felt her cheeks heat a little, giving a shy little smile. "Oh…is that so?"

"That's so," Shepard told her, bending and kissing her quickly. "I can think of no more worthy a subject for the composition of music."

Now Liara really did blush, and Shepard grinned.

Their peaceful, warm little bubble vanished quickly, however, the moment they stepped back aboard ship. Hardly had they cleared the airlock than Traynor came jogging up, out of breath. "Captain, I was just about to page you," she panted. "We have a situation."

"What's going on?"

"Cerberus forces have landed at Eden Prime," she explained, falling into step beside the captain as Shepard headed for the CIC, Liara following behind. "Specifically, they seem to be targeting the original dig-site where the Prothean beacon was unearthed three years ago."

"Do we have any information on what they could be after?" Shepard demanded.

"None yet, ma'am."

Liara touched Del's arm. "I will get that information for you."

"Go, do it."

As Liara ran for the lift, Shepard stepped up to her consoles. "Joker, get us unclamped and to Eden Prime. Traynor, I want all communications going on or off that planet monitored, encrypted or not."

"Yes, ma'am," Traynor replied, her fingers flying swiftly over her own console.

Only a few minutes seemed to pass before Liara's voice came over the comm. _{Shepard, I have it. It seems another artifact has been unearthed at the dig site, not far from where the beacon was discovered. As the beacon it is Prothean in nature. Clearly Cerberus wants to get their hands on it.}_

"Any indication as to the nature of the artifact?"

_{Nothing specific yet. I am continuing to look.}_

"Joker, ETA?"

_{Forty minutes, Captain.}_

"Li, dig up everything you can in the next thirty. Then, I want you suited up and ready to hit dirt-side. Garrus! Vega! Thirty minutes to a hostile drop, I want you both ready! Cortez, make sure the shuttle is prepped and hot!"

A chorus of 'aye, ma'am's' flooded over the comm.

"Even if I hadn't believed it before, this would be _more_ than enough to convince me that Cerberus claiming they stand for humanity is blatantly false," Traynor said. Shepard glanced at the younger woman. Hearing the tremor of anger under her normally gentle voice was a little bit of a surprise…if completely understandable.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Hard to believe they've got our people's best interests at heart when their every action seems to indicate otherwise."

"Earth is burning, the Reapers are slaughtering everyone. If they cared about humanity, they should be helping us to stop them, not sneaking about stirring up trouble like…like rats in the dark."

Shepard smirked. "I agree…but that's kind of an insult to rats. Keep your chin up, Specialist. Cerberus wants to try and cause trouble, then they're going to learn the price for doing so. I'll mow down every goddamn one of them right to the Illusive Man's door if I have to."

"I believe it," Traynor replied softly, then blinked and focused on her console again, scowling a little. "I've got the tie to the colony wireless and tight-beam signals in place. I'll let you know the moment I am able to retrieve anything useful."

"All right. I'm going to suit up."

As Shepard strode toward the lift, Traynor cleared her throat, turning her head. "Captain!"

"Yes?" Shepard paused. Traynor stiffened and saluted.

"Good luck, ma'am," she said.

Shepard nodded with a faint smile, before the lift doors whisked shut. Traynor lowered her hand, her next words soft and unheard by any save her own ears.

"_Be safe_."

* * *

Heavy boots came down into the soft soil of Eden Prime, crushing young grass. A haven, a blessing…paradise. As heaven, it had once been a perfection of peace.

It was as if she had been transported back in time, the sense of déjà vu sweeping over her as she stepped from shuttle to dirt, incredibly powerful.

_Here is where it all began. Just three years ago…God, it feels like a __**thousand**__ years, not three._

Here was where she had seen her first Reaper. Here was where she had first heard the name Saren, where she had touched the Prothean beacon. Here was the start of all things. What small and feeble nugget of superstition Del might have had deep inside fretted that here would be the _end_ of all things as well…that she'd come full circle, and that it was fate that her life would end where this fight had begun.

The rest of her firmly spat in that nugget's eye, tossed it aside, and drew her rifle. "Dig is not too far from here, around that ridge. Cerberus is going to be all over this place, so keep 'em peeled, and watch out for civvies. We weren't able to verify what this artifact is but we all know one thing: if they _want_ it, that's all the reason we need to make sure they don't _get_ it."

As they carefully rounded the ridge and approached the edges of the colony and the dig site, the marks of conflict could easily be seen. Torn up patches of earth, scorched ground, damaged prefabs, and grimmest of all –limp and unmoving bodies- greeted them.

Gesturing at the others to make sure the immediate area was clear, Shepard approached the nearest body…a colonist. It didn't look like he'd gone down easily.

"Seems the civvies put up quite a fight," she murmured, as Liara crouched at her side.

"It is so sad," the asari whispered. "This is such a beautiful place."

"Yeah, these people didn't deserve this. They've only started really putting their lives together again after the geth attack."

"All the greater the insult…and all the more reason to stop Cerberus once and for all."

Straightening from her crouch, Shepard continued on, approaching the nearest prefabs. The dig just beyond had grown significantly larger since they had last been there. Nearly three times as wide and ten times as deep, the site was a series of stepped levels descending downward.

Crouching behind cover at the rim, she drew her sniper and ran the scope along the ramps down into the pit. "There's a small group of Cerberus troops on the north-side, working their way down. Garrus?"

"I see 'em," the turian rumbled, scoping as well from a different vantage. "I've got another small squad, five men…four levels below the first. They're near a lift of some kind that tops out on the east end, not far from here."

"If the artifact they came for is at the bottom, they could be loading it onto that lift to bring it up," Liara pointed out.

"Yeah, and we'll be waiting at the top for it…and _them_," Shepard said, lowering her rifle. "Let's secure that lift and set up our little surprise party."

* * *

Six troopers were guarding the top of the lift and the lab units directly adjacent it. Four of them fell before they knew Shepard and her team were there. Dropping the last one, Shepard's eyes turned to something looming nearby, sparks lighting deep in their brown depths.

The Atlas stood open, as if waiting just for her. A suit of mechanized death standing more than fifteen feet tall, the Atlas was a single-man assault vehicle that mimicked a heavy mech. Triple thick plate armor kept the pilot safe while they doled death with a combination of heavy chain-gun fire and high explosives. It was, in short, a really _big_ man-shaped gun.

Shepard _loved _really big guns, whatever their shape.

"That is a serious piece of hardware," Vega whistled low. "What are you thinking, Lola?"

"The three of you, under cover and out of blast range," Shepard ordered, shipping her sniper. "When that lift comes up, Liara…I want you to put a barrier around the artifact. Keep it safe while I deal with the troops along for the ride. Vega and Garrus, pick off any that manage to get out of blast range, or any reinforcements that show up."

"You are sure you know how to drive that thing?" Liara asked as Shepard hefted herself up into the cockpit.

"What do you think I used to bash around Thug?" Shepard asked, sliding into the seat and taking the controls. She grinned down at the asari. "I still haven't shown you that story have I?"

"Not yet," Liara replied, then glanced around as a light began to flash. "The lift is rising."

"Get into position, Tianlán," Shepard ordered, as she powered up the suit and it closed up around her.

"Be careful," Liara urged, before rushing to find cover.

As the holographic HUD lit around her face, Shepard's eyes narrowed with dangerous glee. "C'mon you fuckers," she grinned. "Time to show you how we do things in New York."

* * *

The lift, designed to take huge vehicles and slabs of various equipment deep into the pit, was more than large enough to accommodate the twenty or so Cerberus troops upon it. As they rose into view –fully armored, weapons in hand if loose- Shepard couldn't at first see the artifact at all.

She stood in the Altas casually at the end of the loading area, simply watching. They had no reason to believe that this wasn't simply their man in their Atlas, and did not at first show any sign of alarm or concern. As the lift locked into place, one man waved several troops forward onto the loading area, and as he did, Shepard finally spotted the artifact.

Liara apparently spotted it almost the same instant, a shimmering blue barrier suddenly descending over it. The next breath, Shepard lifted the mech-suit's arms and grinned.

Gunfire shredded the air as the two heavy chain guns ignited. The lead most troops, the ones who had moved onto the platform, danced like marionettes as the heavy barrage ripped through barriers, then armor, and finally flesh. Pacing forward a step, she never paused, relying on Liara's biotics to protect the artifact while she decimated those around it. By the time the Cerberus soldiers even realized they were dying, half of them were down, and the rest found themselves trapped on the lift with little cover.

They returned fire, unloading toward the Atlas as it stalked a bit closer, its pilot grinning in almost maniacal delight. The small arms fire would do nothing to the powerful suit, they should know that.

_Fuck, even their heavy assault rifles won't scuff my plate-…oh, __**that'll **__do it!_

One man straightened, a rocket launcher on his shoulder. She barely had time to note it before it fired, a slash of fire and smoke marking its trail toward the Atlas.

Shepard slammed her thumb on the landing jets, and the suit lifted up into the air, flames erupting from its feet. It barely cleared the rocket which went searing off into the hillside, just missing the prefabs and exploding in a rain of rock. The Atlas dropped again, crashing hard to its feet on the ground, and Shepard refocused just in time to see the man with the launcher go careening backward into the pit, reeling from a biotic slap.

_That's my girl_, Del thought with a grin, the mech tromping forward as it erased the last of the troops. It was testament to the solid nature of the lift that it didn't so much as rattle when the huge, five ton suit of armor clomped on to it. Shepard turned, spotting a few more men in the distance, a few levels down, rushing toward a nearby shuttle. She sent a pair of rockets after them, the resultant explosion not only destroying the shuttle, but sending part of the pit land-sliding and collapsing on itself.

Satisfied the immediate threat was clear, Shepard popped open the Atlas and climbed out.

"Piece of cake," she said as her group converged. "Let's see what we've got."

"That's…a bit disturbing," Garrus noted as they moved closer to the still object.

"Looks like a casket," Del agreed.

"I-It is a _cryogenic stasis pod_," Liara gasped with some wonder, lightly touching the surface of it. "Shepard, this is not a Prothean artifact or relic…this is a _Prothean_!"

"You're shitting me? Alive?"

"It appears the pod is still functional and intact." The expression on the asari's face was one to behold…a mix of wonder, astonishment, worry, and joy that made her look almost childlike.

"Let's open it up then, get it out of there," Vega declared. "Before Cerberus comes back."

"No, we cannot just open it," Liara replied. "Without knowing how it functions we could kill the one inside."

"How are we supposed to figure that out?" Garrus asked. "I doubt the Protheans just left a 'how-to' manual lying around."

"Shepard, I-I think this is the control panel," Liara said, examining a section of the lid. "There is writing…"

Del moved over, crouching down and peering where Liara was indicating. "Yeah, looks like…ok. Li, set your omni-tool to emit a signal at .21 hertz on the high-band. That'll unlock the key sequencing and I think I can get it from there."

"You can read that?" Vega gaped, astonished.

"When Shepard obtained the Cipher to help her process the information from the beacons from here and Virmire, an understanding of the Prothean language was included. She can read- and I expect even _speak_- Prothean were the occasion to arise," Liara explained.

"Cipher…"

"Long story," Shepard told him bluntly. "And my ability to 'speak' Prothean may be tested very shortly. You got that signal, Li?"

"Yes, transmitting now, Shepard."

She selected the final sequence on her omni-tool, and a breath later, the controls lit up brilliantly. Shepard selected four commands without hesitation, then straightened and stepped back. The pod hummed a moment, before the lid suddenly lifted a little and split open.

Billows of cold, white gas boiled out, spilling down the sides and pooling at their feet. Liara was abruptly reminded of when Miranda had opened Shepard's transport container when she'd delivered her remains to the Lazarus project. Part of her almost expected to see a charred hard-suit, burned and ruined flesh, that macabre grin of a skull. Unconsciously she reached out, gripping Del's hand with an almost crushing squeeze. Del wasn't in there. She was right here, safe and whole.

As the mist cleared a form became visible. Though they knew that the Collectors were actually repurposed Protheans, the resemblance was both obvious and completely unexpected.

The Prothean didn't look particularly insectile, whereas the Collectors were notably so. Instead of chitinous armor, there was thick, leathery looking flesh that formed dense plates over the head. It still had four eyes but also bore a mouth and rudimentary holes for a nose…the Collectors had neither.

_It looks like a Collector the way humans look like husks_, Shepard thought. _Recognizable, but notably different._

He- at least it _appeared _male, at any rate- didn't move at first. Liara shifted unconsciously closer, still gripping Del's hand as she leaned a little. Always protective, the human captain took her shoulder and halted her getting within reaching distance.

"I have to check his vitals," Liara protested.

"How do you know it even _has_ vitals as we know them?" Shepard asked.

"He looks typically bipedal, with the familiar common form. Logic would dictate-"

His eyelids started to shift as the stasis ended, the cryogenic gasses all purged. He grimaced, blinking blearily, and Shepard drew Liara back a pace, one hand going to the butt of her pistol as she narrowed her eyes. Prothean or not, they had no idea his capabilities, personality, or intent.

A faint groan emerged as he lifted one clawed hand, pressing it to his face. She could see his armor clearly now…foreign design of course, a series of overlapping metal plates that were rather elegantly and aesthetically assembled, yet clearly very functional.

Glancing up a moment at Vega and Garrus, who were also trying to keep a safe distance, weapons loose but easily readied, Shepard then shifted her eyes back to the Prothean.

In that moment, he came fully awake.

A tidal wave of green fire swelled out of the casket and slammed into the four of them, thrusting them back and lifting them off their feet. Shepard's shoulders came down hard on the ground, air barking out of her lungs at the impact. Rolling, she groped for her pistol, blinking tears out of her eyes as she weakly surged up, her gaze on the form that stumbled out of the casket and tried to run.

"Do not hurt him!" Liara called out, coughing as she struggled to refill her own lungs. "He is confused!"

The Prothean buckled weakly, half-collapsing only a few feet away. Striding over, Shepard's eyes shifted upward a moment before she grabbed hold of him, hauling him bodily to the side before aiming her pistol and firing.

The ground rumbled hard as the Atlas landed at the edge of the loading area, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris as it did. Above, the modified shuttle that had dropped it moved to land on the other side of the prefabs, doubtless to discharge a few more Cerberus troops as well.

Reinforcements had arrived.

"Get to cover! _Guard him_!" she barked, her pistol snapping toward the new Atlas repeatedly as she darted toward her own. Garrus lay down a blanket of cover fire as she clambered inside, Vega and Liara hauling the half-dazed Prothean male into cover as the second Atlas let loose its weapons.

Shepard slid into the seat and hauled hers closed, activating her controls as the entire structure seemed to rumble and shake, bullets whipping over its barriers and hard-shields. Without bothering to return fire her Atlas charged forward, meeting the other head on. The two huge mechanized suits collided with a deafening clang, each grappling for a hold as powerful pistons drove legs into the ground, seeking purchase. Shepard had the element of surprise, her opponent clearly not expecting such a direct attack. The two Atlas suits stumbling over one another, she managed to tear an arm free, craning it around and driving the heavy gun into the cockpit shielding of the other with a shattering blow.

Boxes and crates were scattered aside as they almost looked like they were dancing a moment, hydraulic fluid from torn connectors spilling over the lift. As soon as the shielding cracked under the blow, Shepard hit him again, shattering it just enough to compromise its protective layer. The enormous chain gun roared to life, reducing the pilot in seconds to a bloody mess. The suit, no longer controlled, sagged to one side and started to go limp.

Shepard tried to haul her own suit away, to release the grip it had on the other, but they were far too entangled. As the dead suit's weight shifted it pulled hers with it. Hauling back she tried to tear loose, feeling the legs stumble, catch, and then shift out from under her.

She was far too off-center, the dead suit pulling her down.

Unfortunately, they were on the lift…on the _edge_ of the lift. The dead suit tumbled into open space over the pit and Shepard had a single moment where she realized it was too late to stop herself from being yanked right over with it.

"Well, fuck," she heard herself say with surprising calm, a breath before both Atlas mechs tipped over the edge into open air…and plummeted.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I know I already posted this, I'm posting it again to give as many people the chance to see it as possible. If you've already read, skip down. Next chapter is below.

Also note: Archive of our own dot org has been recommended several times already. I will be checking that out this evening, so if suitable, chances are that DE will be moving there if it is removed from here.

* * *

EDIT: It was requested by moderators that I remove the previous post, which I have done. I have also removed the majority of this author's note as well.

Thanks as always to Bladhaire for her wonderfulness! Oh, and don't forget, new schedule, so chapter tomorrow (if DE is still here)!

* * *

The rumble of gunfire was almost deafening in the close corridor, and Shepard grimaced against the slamming force of it, baring her teeth.

Three puffs punched an even line over a chest-plate, dropping a Cerberus operative in their tracks. Another shattered the front of the helmet of the second, and he sagged limply down the wall, rifle clattering beside him.

"Clear," Shepard barked. "Go."

Covering the doorway she watched as Liara stepped around her, lifting a hand and sending a shimmering curtain of biotics down in front of them. Striding through the door, she held the barrier firm as bullets rippled off of it harmlessly. Shepard strode in right at her heels, her own rifle igniting once again, mangling half a dozen troopers.

Another group charged in the far door, and before Shepard could even turn her gun, Liara was moving their way. Blue fire flared around her like the corona of a star, and with an almost awe-inspiring determination, the asari drove half of the group into the ceiling, sending them crashing to the ground as she swept three more into a wall. The final two only had time to utter faint grunts as their limbs were torn free of their twisting torsos under the might of the singularity Liara cast at them.

Shepard couldn't help but stare in utter awe at the asari. Panting, still shimmering with the dance of blue light over her skin, Liara glanced over at her, then blinked a little shyly.

"What?"

"You're fucking beautiful, you know that?" Del replied. Liara smiled a little, before the expression faded, her brows creasing. Dark energy was still shining over her skin, flaring around her hands.

Sensing something was wrong, Shepard inclined her head, lowering her gun. "Li? You ok?"

"I do not know," Liara admitted. "I cannot release my biotics."

Shepard stepped forward as she shipped her pistol, her eyes widening in sudden alarm as the flare of blue suddenly raged brighter, and Liara cried out in pain.

"Tianlán!" Shepard tried to grab her but the surge of power was too much…she couldn't get close. Throwing a hand over her eyes she tried anyway, terror clenching her gut. "_Liara!_"

The asari's scream of pain was horrible, the overload of dark energy throwing Del back with bone-cracking force. She slammed into the far wall, head spinning, and tried to push herself up, her dark eyes lifting to the brilliant torch of flame that had once been her love.

"Liara!" She tried in vain to get to her feet as the asari was consumed, each cell, each _molecule_ of her body igniting in its own supernova, the very fabric of reality around her drawing in and ripping loose in time with Del's scream.

"_**LIARA!"**_

* * *

The air rushing into her lungs was furnace-hot, heavy fingers of smoke sliding up her nose, past her lips, choking her. She coughed raggedly, her hands flailing out and finding smooth and hard.

"Liara!" she rasped, those hands balling into fists and slamming against the wall of her prison, pain stabbing at her as she thrashed. Her eyes were streaming from the toxic billows surrounding her, and each gasp seemed to bring only pain, no air.

Groping out, her hand found the canopy release and she hauled on it. The front popped a bit, but only opened an inch or two, which helped to thin the smoke but not nearly enough. Her helmet had obviously been damaged, as she was getting no HUD and her air filtration was not working.

Lashing out with a fist again she slammed it into the canopy, trying to force it open wider…wide enough to get out, or at least increase the fresh air. Though what she had seen was clearly a dream of some kind, the ball of fear and worry in her gut refused to be banished. It had seemed so real, so _clear_…

"Liara!" she called out again, then beat more furiously on the stubborn canopy. "Fuck. _Fuck!_ _**FUCK IT AND MOVE!**_"

* * *

"_Shepard_!"

As the two damaged and entangled mechs tipped off the edge of the lift, the asari's blue eyes shot wide and she bolted from cover just as the Cerberus reinforcements closed in.

Frantic as she was, however, she was neither suicidal nor stupid. Even as gunfire filled the air, she threw up a barrier, deflecting it from her and then sending the wall of dark energy sailing for the troopers. Following up with a few well placed slams, she barely lost a step as she ran across the lift, almost skidding to a halt at the edge.

Garrus and Vega opened fire, picking off the dazed troops left reeling from her attack, before they hurried to join her, Vega almost unconsciously snagging the Prothean by the collar and hauling him after. A few steps, and the dazed man seemed to recover a little, pulling forcefully away from Vega. Ignoring him for a moment, too worried about his captain, Vega let him go and ran to join the pair peering downward.

Gouges had been torn out of the dirt ramps, marking where the mechs had impacted and then tumbled down the slope. Half of the loose dirt had come down with them it seemed, forming another small landslide that had eaten away at the edge of the pit.

A line of smoke swayed from the bottom of the dig, where the two tortured mechs lay in a mangled heap.

"We need to get down there," Vega insisted, turning toward the lift controls. Barely had he touched them than Garrus suddenly called out.

"Liara!"

Whipping around, Vega blinked as the asari leapt off the edge of the lift, arms outspread and a flare of blue energy surrounding her in billowing wings.

_She looks like an angel_, the LT thought for a moment as she drifted down out of sight, her mass reduced to almost zero thanks to her biotics. What he said out loud was "Fuck!" even as he slammed a fist into the controls.

The lift shuddered and began to descend.

* * *

The moment Liara's boots touched dirt, the dark energy faded and she ran forward, coughing as the wind blew some of the roiling black smoke her direction. "Del!"

The wreck looked even worse up close, the two mech-suits so smashed up and twisted together it was nearly impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Coughing, eyes streaming, the asari clambered over the mess, trying to reach the cockpits.

"Shepard!"

Something thumped hard, echoed with the sharp grind of metal. She spotted the cracked open canopy and realized it was pinned shut with the second mech's arm. It bumped again as something inside hit it, the smoke pouring out of the edges and no doubt filling the cockpit.

"Del! I am here," she gasped, her biotics lighting again and enveloping the arm holding it pinned. The heat radiating off the mechs was immense, it and the smoke belying a fire she couldn't quite see. Sweat sheened her skin as the arm shifted and dropped to the side, and she grabbed the edge of the hatch and helped to haul it open. Smoke rushed out as it swung free, its human pilot surging outward, coughing raggedly as she weakly clawed at her helmet. Grabbing hold of her, Liara helped her out of the cockpit and they stumbled across the dirt until they were clear.

They both half-collapsed on the ground, Shepard hauling her helmet off and gasping for clean air, face reddened and eyes streaming.

"Shepard, are you all right?" Liara asked, swiping at her cheeks. To her sudden surprise the human captain surged forward, grabbing hold of her almost painfully tightly.

"Liara," Del rasped. "You're not hurt? You're _ok_?"

"I am not the one that fell down a cliff in a mech!" Liara gasped back, fingers tangling in sweaty hair as tears filled her eyes. "I am _fine_! Are _you_ all right?"

"Real…it seemed so…so real…"

"What? Shepard, _what_ seemed real?" Liara asked. Shepard loosened her grip, laying back flat on the ground and coughing again.

"Shepard…"

"She ok?" Garrus's voice turned Liara's head as the turian and Vega ran over from the lift. "Liara, is she all right?"

"I'm fine..." Shepard scowled weakly, wiping a hand over her face and pushing herself back up into a sit. "Just battered around, got my fair share of smoke, but I'm-…where's the Prothean?"

"We were a bit more concerned about you, Lola," Vega told her. Shepard's look turned black as she got to her feet, Liara gripping her arm.

"So you left a dazed and confused Prothean _alone_ in a colony filled with _Cerberus_? The _fuck_, LT? If they get their hands on him-"

She was striding as she spoke, slamming a palm into James's shoulder plate as she passed him, before she drew to a halt.

The Prothean was standing on the lift, looking at them warily. Shepard felt a bit of relief loosen her muscles. Liara clasped her arm again and Del gently touched her shoulder with a nod, before stepping past and heading toward him, swiping a grimy glove over her damp cheeks again as she did so.

Stopping a few feet away from the alien, she and the Prothean regarded one another warily. "Can you understand me?" she asked. The stranger simply regarded her, all four of his eyes narrowed. Someone stopped just behind her and she didn't need to look to know it was Liara.

"Perhaps if you concentrate, try and speak Prothean," the asari suggested. Shepard took another step forward, her hands in plain view so he could see she was unarmed.

_Try and speak Prothean…simple as that huh?_ she thought with a mental shake of her head, then concentrated. How did one just 'try and speak Prothean' anyway?

"Can you understand me?" she asked again. She had no idea if she was still speaking galactic or not. It sounded and felt like galactic to her, but then…when she saw Prothean writing it looked like galactic to her too.

The man didn't answer, but he did lift his head a bit. Seeming to make a decision, he strode forward, a hand reaching out.

Instantly Del drew her pistol and aimed it firmly at him. Liara made a soft sound of alarm in reaction. The Prothean halted.

"Not so fast," Del glared. "You understand me or not?"

He said nothing, only held out his hand with a firm, almost sarcastic tilt to his mouth. Shepard measured him a moment then slowly lowered the pistol to point at the ground. Keeping firm hold of it in her left hand, she reached out carefully with her right, and took his.

As soon as their hands clasped the world dropped away and vanished. There was no sense of motion, no sense of unconsciousness. Del remained where she was, completely aware, staring in shock as the universe around her was dismantled by some invisible god, and then reassembled into a whole new tableau.

The landscape had changed. She was no longer in a pit, but standing in a field at the edge of a burning city. The great ominous black forms moving over it were far too familiar; Reapers.

They raked the world with their crimson lances, their bellowing cries trembling the air and the dirt at her feet. She could hear voices screaming on the wind.

_This isn't real_, she realized when she saw the group of forms running toward her. They seemed not to see her, and it was clear that they were Prothean. _He's showing me this, but it's not really happening. It's a memory…_

It was only confirmed when she recognized the very same man they'd discovered in the pod as one of those hurrying her direction. He was even wearing the exact same armor. Two of his three companions were organic, the third appeared to be a VI or a holographic projection of some kind.

"They are pressing too hard, we have to hurry!" one called to the other.

"Most of the pods are now active," the VI stated. "However more time is needed to complete the rest."

"How many are still empty?" her Prothean demanded.

"Three thousand."

At the answer, her Prothean grabbed the shoulder of one of his companions firmly. "You! Go to the western side. We need to keep the facility secure until those pods are filled. Tell the men there to hold the line at any cost!"

The scene started to waver and fade as the man turned to do as he bid. _Her_ Prothean, however, remained solid, turning away from the scene and looking directly at her. After a single beat, the world around him melting like wax, he stepped past her. Turning to regard him, she noticed he was heading toward…_her_.

A new image had formed, one that tightened her gut and stole her breath.

Space, vast and beautiful, spread above her. She was standing on a walkway set into the side of an asteroid, and drawing nearer was a mass relay, shining and spinning in its eternal dance. Close at hand, near a console, there was herself, dressed in a hard-suit. Beside her was an exhausted, emaciated looking batarian boy, and looming overhead was the holographic image of Harbinger.

_This is the Alpha relay_, she realized with a gasp. _This is the past, just before Aratoht was destroyed!_

The Prothean was approaching her other self, and Del hurried after him. As she drew near, however, she seemed to suddenly surge forward and merge with her doppelganger, becoming the Del Shepard confronting the huge, leviathanical image.

_**SHEPARD. YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT DELAY THE INEVITABLE.**_

_Shepard knew that voice. Harbinger. She, as well as Miranda and Mordin, had assumed Harbinger was a Queen or some other hive mind belonging particularly to the Collectors. It seemed that wasn't so. She'd been talking to a Reaper the whole time._

_The yellow outline of the beast reflected in her dark brown eyes as she growled. "Get used to it, because I'm going to do that a fuck of a lot, Harbinger."_

_**YOUR FIGHT IS FUTILE. THIS IS WHAT MUST BE. YOU WILL NOT STOP US.**_

"_Maybe, maybe not. What I guaran-fucking-tee that I __**will**__ do is fight you with every last drop of blood and sweat I have…and I won't be the only one. We will take every last one of you down if we have to."_

_**FOOLISH. WE WILL PREVAIL. WITH YOU, OR AGAINST YOU.**_

"_I can't wait to shove those words down your throat," she grinned ruthlessly, muscles knotting as she pointed at the image. "I will bring you __**down**__. You will pay for __**every**__ life that's_ _been lost, for this __**and **__every cycle that __**ever**__ came before us._ _You tell your friends I'm coming for them. I don't care if there's a hundred, a thousand, or a goddamn __**million…I'm coming for them**__."_

Shepard returned to reality with a swooning rush. Wavering a little, she jerked her hand back from the Prothean's grip, staring at him.

"What did you do to me?" she asked as Liara moved to her side protectively.

The man did speak, and in only _slightly_ accented galactic, but his words were hardly an answer to her question. Instead, they turned her blood cold, time slowing to a near stop.

"I know who you are," he said, straightening to his not inconsiderable full height. "You are _Iovino_."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: For those unaware, it seems DE is safe for now. I will be creating a mirror on Archive of Our Own just for common sense purposes but for now…we're not going anywhere.

Left-of-canon warning, as per usual **evil grin**

Enjoy the chapter and have a great weekend!

* * *

"Where did you hear that name?" Shepard demanded. "Do you know what it means? What did you just do to me?"

The Prothean only looked at her with an expression –were it to be on a human face, at any rate- of bitter disdain. His eyes shifted from her to her companions, before he sniffed.

"Humans. Asari. Turian. I am surrounded by primitives."

Shepard was in no mood, her jaw tightening. "Yeah, primitives that just _saved your ass_," she snarled. "We have no time for this. Cortez!"

She touched her ear bud, looking upward out of the pit.

_{Here.}_

"Bring the shuttle down to our location, I need you to pick up Liara and our package."

"Shepard," Liara interrupted before Vega could answer. "What are you doing?"

"You're taking our new friend here back to the _Normandy_," Shepard told her. "Have Haley and his security brutes bung him in the brig or somewhere secure until we can get a handle on this situation. I'm going to stay and finish wiping Cerberus off Eden Prime's map."

"I am not your prisoner," the Prothean warned. Shepard glared right back at him.

"You are our _secure guest_ until I decide whether or not that changes," Shepard retorted.

"My people will not-"

"Your people are _gone_," she told him. "Fifty thousand years gone. None of the other pods made it, _just you_. You don't want to come with us, _fine_. You stay here and let Cerberus haul you off to be cut up and experimented on, or you run and hide until the Reapers find you and turn you into a-"

That got his attention, all four of his eyes narrowing dangerously. "The Reapers are _here_? This cycle's harvesting has begun?"

"Yeah, it has," Shepard answered.

"You are Iovino," he said, more to himself than to her. "You fight the Reapers."

"Damn _right_ I do, whatever the fuck 'Iovino' means," Shepard spat.

He nodded. "All right. I will go with you to your ship."

"Wise decision. Liara…and Vega, you too. Take him back to the _Normandy_. Garrus and I will handle things down here. He does anything funny, you fucking _shoot_ him."

As the shuttle started to lower, Liara drew Shepard to the side. "Do you not think you are being a little harsh?" she asked. "He has just woken up after fifty thousand years. He is frightened, confused, has just realized that all his people are-"

"He is a fucking _asshole_ is what he is," Shepard told her. "I don't know what the fuck that…that mind-memory-psychic bullshit thing was but I don't appreciate having my brain raped _again_, nor being called a primitive."

Liara's eyes searched hers patiently. "No, that is not it…at least, not _all_ of it. Something else is wrong…"

"I haven't got time for this, Liara. Get him on that shuttle and back to the _Normandy_. Cerberus isn't going to wait. We can talk about this later."

"Fine," Liara murmured, stepping back and looking at the Prothean as she gestured at the shuttle. "If you will come with us?"

The alien man glanced at her only briefly, before his eyes fixed Shepard's again. After a pause, he stepped past, heading toward the shuttle with Liara and Vega flanking him.

Shepard watched them go. As the trio boarded, Liara glanced back at her. Even from this distance, she could see the concern on the woman's face. As the door slid shut, Garrus stepped up to Shepard's shoulder.

"Well. He's a special little ray of sunshine, isn't he?" he noted.

Shepard grunted in response, and Garrus looked at her. "You _do_ realize you left it up to just the two of us to clear Cerberus out of this entire colony, right?"

"What's the matter, Garrus?" she asked, fixing him with a look. "You scared?"

She headed toward the lift, drawing her rifle as he followed her. "Are you kidding me?" he asked. "I just feel _sorry_ for them. You know, the odds being so drastically in our favor- makes it kind of sad. It's like a krogan tackling a baby hanar."

"That happen often?"

"No, because even krogan aren't _that_ mean. You sure you're all right, Shepard?"

"I'm fine," she grunted, hitting the lift control. "Let's just get it done."

* * *

"What is your name?" Liara asked gently, breaking the silence in the shuttle for the first time. She was sitting across from the Prothean, her helmet in her lap. She was clinging to it as if it were stabilizing her, keeping her from floating away.

_A real, live __**Prothean**__…sitting directly in front of me._ The words kept spinning over and over in her head, emotions that she had no name for moving through her stomach.

His eyes shifted up enough to regard her, and seemed to measure her a moment. She had the uncomfortable feeling that she came up wanting.

"I am called Javik," he said at last, just as Liara decided he wasn't going to answer her.

"I am Liara," she introduced. "This is James Vega."

When the Prothean said nothing further, she ventured, "How is it that you learned to speak our language so quickly?"

"I took it from Iovino's head," he stated. "Empathic touch. Our people can communicate and draw information directly from cellular or object memory. Yours cannot?"

"The asari can join minds with a willing participant," she said. "But we do not learn or communicate so fast through simple touch."

He looked at Vega almost accusingly, and the big human man shrugged. "Humans ain't got anything like that."

"So, communication is still primitive in this cycle, too," Javik grumped. "Wonderful."

"Bet you're a _blast_ at parties," Vega told him. The Prothean glared, and Liara held up her hand.

"Vega," she admonished gently. "He's been through a lot-"

"So who is this Cerberus that Iovino is fighting?" Javik demanded. "Why are you contesting with them and not the Reapers? Are they indoctrinated?"

"That is unknown," Liara told him. "Cerberus is a human group that is attempting to further their own ends. When your pod was discovered they attempted to retrieve you. You would likely have been used for genetic testing, for cloning, repurposing, or interrogation for superior technology. We could not allow them to succeed. Of course, we did not know you were an actual Prothean when we landed. We thought they had simply discovered another artifact, some technology perhaps."

"They are working against their own kind instead of the Reapers," Javik grumbled. "Traitors. We had such a group as well, during my cycle. It was discovered later that they were all indoctrinated. The same is likely true of your Cerberus. I hope your Iovino destroys them all."

"She will," Liara said, matter-of-factly.

"There's that name again. I'm curious too…what does it mean? Iovino…is that a Prothean word?" Vega asked.

"It is not Prothean," he responded. "According to the stories I heard, the name goes back countless cycles."

"Her name is Del Shepard," Liara told him. "We only recently learned that the Reapers refer to her as Iovino."

"Let me guess. She is a soldier, yes? A leader of men? She does not give up, and she has killed one of them."

"Two, by my count," Liara agreed. "What she has done to stop the Reapers crosses the line into the impossible-"

"Yet they are _here_. You are at war. Your people are dying. She is a failure."

"You know _nothing_ of Shepard," Liara said hotly, her temper coming to the fore. Prothean or not, his confusion and fear aside, she was not going to allow anyone to disparage the human woman who had done and sacrificed more than _anyone_ to fight this war.

"I know _enough_," he responded. "I know what has happened countless times before. What _will_ happen countless times again. She is a puppet, a sham…false hope. I do not cling desperately to false hope like the asari-"

Liara surged to her feet, her hand wreathed in blue before she knew she was going to move. Vega leapt up at the same moment, immediately stepping between the asari and the Prothean, who only stared at her angrily, clearly not intimidated.

"Whoa, enough of that Doc," Vega soothed. "Cool heads for now. He clearly doesn't know a damned thing about the captain. He'll learn soon enough, and he'll eat those words."

Liara forced herself to relax, reseating herself, then glaring moodily out the window. Vega slowly relaxed and then resumed his seat when it was clear neither were going to pursue the argument. The silence remained thick and unbroken until the shuttle docked, Haley's security team meeting them in the hold.

"Put him in the brig for now, Shepard's orders," Vega told them as they warily eyed the Prothean. Liara, a little calmer and feeling slightly guilty for her actions, inclined her head.

"Make sure he is comfortable," she said quietly. "He no doubt needs nourishment. I'll try and find him something suitable."

Javik only looked at her as he was escorted away, his expression cold and unreadable. Liara sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead.

"Not exactly what you thought they'd be, huh?" Vega asked her, then shook his head. "Yeah. Me neither."

* * *

Javik sat alone in the half-dark, ignoring the two human men who stood guard outside the barrier.

_Humans. The superstitious, cave-dwelling barbarian, just one step above flinging their own feces and hooting at the sun…__**this**__ is the great hope for this cycle?_

He had seen into the woman's memories, briefly…as he knew she had seen his. He had maintained contact only long enough to learn the language and to see a bit of who she was, so he could try and get a handle on her. It had proven…more _complicated_ than he had thought. Walls and dark places had rather efficiently blocked some of his seeing, and he had not then made the effort to break past them. With a longer attempt he had no doubt he could gather all the information that he needed. Mind and will was not a factor. Even the strongest of minds could not hide their own cellular memories, no matter the species.

If he closed his eyes, he could still see the great forms of the Reapers, still see the buildings burning, the soldiers and warriors dying. He could still smell the inside of the stasis pod as he lay within it, hear the roar and feel the tremble of earth as Victory initiated the bombardment.

Just shy of one million souls had made it into their pods. How many had perished in the bombardment? How many had died, one by one over the millennia as power reserves grew thin, to insure his own pod remained active?

_And for what? To see a galaxy where my race is a memory? Where the animals have taken over? To watch the Reapers in their slaughter again, to know everything we did added up to nothing but failure?_

He heard the door slide open, and lifted his eyes. There she was. Iovino. She was small, soft. A naked primate, tiny enough he could pick her up and heft her over his head…and not even _strain_ himself.

_This_ was their great hope? This cycle was pathetic.

That asari was with her too. He scowled, watching as they stepped past the guards and the barrier lowered.

* * *

Shepard stepped just within the space of the cell, folding her arms as she regarded him. "Liara tells me your name is Javik," she said after a moment.

"That is my name."

"I'm Captain Shepard."

"She told me that as well."

"We aren't going to have a problem, are we?"

"You fight the Reapers. So long as we have that common goal, then we are not enemies."

"I fight the Reapers," she agreed. "That thing you did to me, back on the planet…where you showed me your memory and saw one of mine. What was that?"

"My people have the ability to touch a person or object and read their cellular memory," he said, irritated at having to explain basic modern communication with ignorants. "All impressions, all energy, all experiences…they imprint themselves on objects and organics alike. Through accessing these imprinted patterns I can see whatever you have experienced, or impart knowledge to you."

"It explains the Prothean beacons, and how they function," Liara told her, and Shepard nodded.

Javik rose to his feet, frowning. "You know of the beacons?"

"Yes," Shepard replied. "I have had direct contact with two of them. That was how we discovered the Reapers had destroyed your people, and that they were coming back."

"You saw our warnings?" he gasped, furious and horrified. "Why did you not heed them? Why were they ignored?"

"Ignored?" Shepard asked, her own temper rising to the fore as her eyes turned dark. "_Ignored?_ Listen, you _fucking_-"

Liara grasped her arm, shaking her head. "Shepard, this will not help. He does not understand."

"Then he should shut the fuck up and _listen_," Shepard snapped. "Your beacons nearly fried my brain, _Prothean_. I nearly lost my goddamn fucking _mind_ because of your warnings, and when I finally was able to figure them out, no one would _believe_ me. I _told_ the Council, _told_ our heads of government…I've been beating on the walls the last _goddamn three years_ _**trying**_ to get people to listen to me, so don't you stand there and accuse me of ignoring _shit_."

"If they did not listen to you, then your heads of government are incompetent, blind buffoons!"

"On _that_, I think we can agree," Shepard replied. The Prothean snorted a little, then straightened.

"Hmm. Perhaps you are not quite as close to your primate ancestors as I thought."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Shepard glared. He turned away, then shook his head.

"The fact remains that our warnings were in vain. The Reapers are here. This cycle is already lost."

"I'm not quite ready to give up yet," she said. "Thanks to your warnings and what we found on Ilos, I was able to stop the initial Reaper invasion three years ago. They weren't able to take us by surprise as much as they would have liked."

"Ilos?" he asked, looking back at her.

"We found a Prothean facility on Ilos, with a VI who informed us of what had happened in _your _cycle," Liara said patiently.

"We also found data in an archive on Mars that contains blueprints for a weapon that your people were constructing against the Reapers. We are trying to build it ourselves now. Do you know anything about this?"

"I…heard rumors," he admitted. "About Ilos, about the weapon but…we heard a thousand different tales a thousand times a day about what was going on elsewhere in the galaxy. Our cycle was taken by surprise when the Reapers invaded. They succeeded in isolating great sections of the empire from one another. Communications were never reliable. No one ever really knew what anyone else was doing."

"Is there anything you _do_ know that can help us build this weapon?" Shepard asked. He shrugged.

"I am a soldier, not an engineer or scientist. I know how to fight, to kill, nothing more."

"You guessed in the shuttle that Shepard had killed a Reaper," Liara pressed. "The name, Iovino…it has something to do with that, does it not? Please, if you know what it means-"

He shrugged again, sitting down with a sigh. "I do not know what it means with any certainty. I can only tell you what I heard. Again, it is more rumor. I cannot present it as fact."

Shepard nodded, and Javik wiped a hand over his face. "It was told that some of our people had discovered old records archives from the Inusannon on a distant moon at the edge of the galaxy. The Inusannon and the Thoi'han were great enemies in their cycle, and were the dominant power in the galaxy before the Reapers ended them. There was little left of either of their cultures. In the records that were found, it spoke of their fight against the Reapers, and mentioned a champion the Reapers called Iovino."

"A…a prophecy?" Liara asked, confused.

"No," he replied bluntly. "They were describing a contemporary, the one that was leading their people against the Reapers. This champion managed to kill a smaller Reaper, one of the Destroyers. It was the only real victory they had, before they were eliminated. The Reapers, it seems, overwhelmed this Iovino's forces and decimated them."

He lifted his chin a little. "Among my people, there are many avatars, embodying our virtues. Great warriors, with much cunning, the cream of what one can aspire to. One of these avatars was a man named Bafiss. He was the embodiment of Triumph. He assembled a great army and lead them against the Reapers in the Sco'ilan Expanse. His forces destroyed one of the large ships…something that had never been done in the two hundred years since the Reapers invaded. One of the Reapers, the one that leads them…it was called _Harbinger_-"

"We know Harbinger," Shepard growled, and Javik nodded.

"This machine spoke to Bafiss. He called him 'Iovino'. The story tells us, that Bafiss lead his forces in victory against the Reapers time and time again, but never destroyed another ship. He reclaimed two worlds before he encountered Harbinger again. It is said that his forces lay slaughtered around him, that Harbinger loomed above. Bafiss and one of his remaining loyal were the only ones left. In rage, the wounded Bafiss ran to Harbinger and touched it. He collapsed at the contact, and his loyal managed to drag him away. Bafiss died shortly after from his wounds, but not before he told his loyal what he had seen."

Shepard and Liara listened in silence, watching as the Prothean seemed to collect himself. "He said that he had seen the mind of the machine, that he had seen the millions of minds within the machine. All were as one and yet separate. He said, 'they thought I was Iovino, but they were wrong.' When his loyal asked if he had seen what the name meant, he said only three words. 'Killer of Galaxies.'"

Shepard drew up a little, her brows knitting. "That's…a rather ominous title."

Liara worked it over in her mind, trying to make sense of it. 'Killer of Galaxies'…perhaps it is in reference to all these 'voices' within the Reaper that this Bafiss managed to destroy? We have seen how Reapers are created, Shepard. Millions of living beings processed into organic resources that are used to form it. Sovereign once claimed to be a 'nation', did he not? It is like the geth…Legion was not an individual but a thousand different minds in a single platform. Is that what the Reapers are? Millions, if not _trillions_ of minds, working as a nation inside a single massive platform?"

"And by slaying one, I in effect killed a 'galaxy' of individuals?" Shepard blinked, then shook her head. "No…I don't buy that. I can't accept that. That thing that we destroyed was _not_ a hundred thousand human minds trapped in some kind of software existence. They may use our organic material to reproduce or…_whatever_ it was they were doing, but I refuse to believe that each Reaper is an entire nation unto itself, that each individual it liquefied was somehow…_in_ there, conscious and aware. For one thing, if that were even _remotely_ possible, why would an entire species worth of individuals who had just been slaughtered and processed in such a horrific way decide to then slaughter and process others the same? No…there's got to be more to it. I can't even _begin_ to accept that."

"I am simply telling you what I have heard," Javik shrugged. "You are not the first called Iovino. You will not be the last. All it means is that you managed to hurt one of them, that you are the hope of your people. Nothing more."

"You are that convinced we are going to fail, aren't you?" Shepard asked. He snorted.

"The Empire of my people stretched from edge to edge of this galaxy, and _we_ failed," he told her. "Trillions of species came before us, over countless trillions of years…and _they_ failed. When I last knew of your people, Iovino, you were living in caves, playing with rocks. You think that you can win against the Reapers? A bunch of _primates_?"

"Call my people 'primates' _again_," Shepard dared. He snorted.

"I should be intimidated?"

"Please, let's just…just _calm down_," Liara urged. "Javik, I know that what you are going through is difficult. It cannot be easy waking up so long from your own time, to a galaxy so completely different to the one you had left, but we are _not_ your enemies. Insults are not constructive."

"You know nothing about me, asari. Why do you concern yourself?"

"I do not know much about you personally, no, but I have studied Protheans my entire life. I have written several papers-"

"How amusing," he smirked. "The asari finally learned to read and write-"

Shepard surged forward, her forearm slamming over the Prothean's neck as she shoved him up against the wall. Though the warrior stood at least a foot taller than she, she kept him pinned with little effort. Indeed, he looked shocked at it.

"Now you _listen up_," she snarled. "You call me or one of my crew primitive _again_, and I'm going to shove my boot so far up what passes for your ass you'll be able to taste leather for the rest of your life, dong ma? I understand we were a lot less advanced and civilized fifty thousand years ago, but once upon a time, _**Prothean**_, _your _fucking people crawled out from under a _fucking_ rock too. The Inusannon may have even _stepped_ _on_ one or two of you, so you're not _any goddamn better_, you get me?"

Lifting a hand, he gripped her arm, his eyes narrowing before they suddenly rolled closed. That was all the warning she had, before the world fell away.

They say at the moment of death, your entire life passes before your eyes. Shepard knew she wasn't dying- somehow still aware of her pulse, the tides of her breath- yet it happened just the same. As if it passed with excruciating slowness yet sped by in the flash of a blink, her entire life replayed itself in her mind.

She felt everything, smelled and touched and tasted everything, as if it were all real once more. She was spared none of it, not even the fog of infancy or time to take the edge off.

Whatever his motivation- a desire to simply know more about her and her people, to get a sense of her skills or weaknesses or drives- he clearly was not expecting the result any more than _she_ was.

He released her, uttering a gasp that sounded as if he had half-drowned. Shepard staggered back a pace, stumbling and nearly falling. Liara went to take hold of her and she warded her off almost instinctively with the lift of an arm, the back of her other hand swiping under her nose.

She half expected it to be bleeding. She wasn't entirely sure why.

"Del? What happened?" Liara asked worriedly, before casting Javik an accusatory look. The Prothean had dropped into a sit on his cot, staring in almost ashen gray shock.

Del swiped at her nose again, then gripped Liara's shoulder as she pointed at the man.

"Don't," she rasped roughly to him. "Don't _ever_ fucking touch me again…"

Turning she walked out of the cell area, her steps weaving a little. Liara hurried after her and Shepard barked at the guard. "Close it up!"

The barrier fell back into place. Struggling to maintain, Shepard strode out of the brig and halfway down the corridor, once again almost automatically deflecting Liara as the asari tried to grasp hold of her.

Turning, she fell back against the wall, her shoulders colliding with the smooth metal before she sagged down. Now enormously alarmed, Liara crouched at her side, grasping her face.

"EDI! I need a medical team to my position immediately!" she cried out. Shepard's face was pale, gray circles around her eyes…eyes that had half-rolled back into her head. She was shaking, breath coming in tiny grunts, and after a frantic moment, Liara realized she was actually having a seizure.

"EDI! Dr. Chakwas! _Anyone….! __**Please**__!"_


	22. Chapter 22

"Power increased. How are you feeling?"

"I taste metal," the blonde said distantly, lightly licking her lips. The salarian nodded.

"Good, indicates in right neuro-region. Let me know if memory recovers again."

"Nothing so far…" Sydney told him, doing her best to relax.

Strapped once more in the chair, half-reclined, she was undergoing her fifth experiment with the subharmonics and ultrasonics. Mordin had quickly nailed down the regions of the brain directly affected and had more than once been able to recover some small portion of her three-month memory blackout. He still expressed hope that he would be able to reverse the process but, the last two days especially, she had begun to suspect that hope was either dwindling, or being proven unfounded.

Deirdre was nearby, a calming yet silent shadow, allowed to attend and watch only on the condition she did not speak or interfere. It wasn't always easily, especially when Sydney started to show clear signs of distress.

There hadn't been any this session as of yet. Syd didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"Initiating final subharmonic sequence now," Mordin informed her, touching the controls on the nearby console. After a brief pause, he spoke again. "Any change?"

"No," she admitted. "Just that metal taste…feel a bit tingly and dizzy. Nothing else."

"Hmm," he said, and she felt her stomach sink at the sound of his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Cannot conclude. Must examine data first," he told her. "I think that is enough for today."

"But nothing _happened_!" she protested. "Can't you try a little longer?"

"No, unwise. Overexposure to ultrasonics may have detrimental consequences, shouldn't push. Need rest."

"_Rest_? I can't rest…we need to keep going!"

"Syd, love…" Deeds tried to soothe.

"This is supposed to be _working_, damn it!" the blonde growled. "You said this would fix things!"

"All information valuable, Sydney," Mordin reassured. "Is not necessarily negative. May be that we have hit upon perfect synchronicity, will not know until I examine data. Lack of spontaneous memory experience non-indicative. Do not give up hope."

Deirdre glanced at Mordin, silently asking permission. When the salarian nodded, she undid Syd's straps, lightly touching her arm. As she did, she gently merged her mind to the blonde's as well, a brief brush of love and reassurance. Sydney's amber eyes shifted to her and softened a bit, before she got up out of the chair with the asari's help.

Escorted back to her cell by her two ever-present guards, Syd clung to her love's hand and tried desperately not to lose hope. Drawing her to sit on the cot, Navis held her close, resting her head against the human's and reinitiating the bond.

Sydney felt her worries and fears soothe a bit as the asari's essence entwined with hers. Metaphysically embracing her back, she couldn't help the faint smile as a third presence, small but as brilliant and illuminated as a tiny star, brushed across her consciousness as well. Pure innocence and love, darting and happy and carefree as a fish in a calm pool.

The touch of it both firmed her resolve and at the same time, increased her worry. She had so much more to live for now, to fight for…and at the same time, she had so much more to _lose_.

She had, understandably, not been sleeping well since the mess at the Collector base. Emotional and physical exhaustion weighed her down and with Deirdre's soothing and peaceful influence, she quickly dozed off.

It seemed only moments later that Navis was gently shaking her awake. Sydney opened her eyes and sat up as Mordin approached the cell.

The salarian looked grim.

Wiping a hand over her face, Syd's other hand instinctively twined in Deirdre's as she almost forced herself not to leap to conclusions.

"Mordin, what is it?"

She felt Navis's hand grow tighter in hers as the salarian took a deep breath. "Good news," he stated. "…and bad."

Sydney tried to steel herself. Bad news, yes…but he'd said good news too. She had to have hope. "Hit me."

"Definitely pinpointed area of cognitive effect, frequency and pattern of ultrasonic indoctrination method. Very interesting. Reapers use constant binary signal at specific tone and vibration to begin process of control…binary of PI to one thousand places…quite intriguing and elegant."

"Well, that's _good_. That's good you found it, right?" Syd asked. "That means you can reverse it."

"Yes…and no. Subharmonic reversal possible, but not permanent. Clear indoctrination…after short time, indoctrination resumes. DNA and cellular memory altered by initial signal, will continue to revert. Clear indoctrination…reverts after five minutes. Clear it again, reverts after three. Again, reverts after one."

"So it's sort of self-repairing," Deirdre asked.

"Yes. Could permanently reverse, however would require drastic erasure of DNA in each affected cell in the brain. Damage would result in permanent vegetative state, more likely death. Not an option."

"So what options _do_ we have?" Sydney demanded.

"Did parallel research on Shiala, asari Shepard rescued from Thorian control on Feros. Shiala indoctrinated by Reapers, then by Thorian, and now…not indoctrinated."

"Shiala submitted to tests?"

"Not knowingly," he told her. "Submitted to blood and brain scans with different company, some small health issues resulting from Thorian control. Skin turned green, apparently. Biotics unstable. Wanted answers. Liberated portions of blood samples and copies of brain scans from receiving lab. Went over them. Conclusion seems concrete."

"Tell us," Deirdre urged as Mordin's face went grim again.

"More research, more testing…may come up with something else," he tried to reassure, then sighed. "Not much hope. Seems conclusive. Only three cures to indoctrination. Death-"

"_Not_ an option," Deirdre insisted firmly. Mordin shrugged.

"Goes without saying. Second, elimination of _source _of indoctrination."

"The source…so if all the Reapers are wiped out I won't be indoctrinated anymore?" Sydney asked bitterly. He looked at her evenly.

"Yes. Might be lingering side-effects but no longer under control…similar to death of Thorian releasing colonists."

"What's the third option?"

"Indoctrination," Mordin replied.

"Counter indoctrination _with_ indoctrination?"

"Yes. Different source, of course. Proper chemical absorption, in sync with altered ultrasonics, replace one indoctrination with another. Reaper indoctrination cannot endure in co-habitation with alternative. Shiala and Thorian control provides proof."

"That is _not_ a solution, she would still be indoctrinated!" Deirdre pointed out.

"Yes, but not by Reapers."

"By _you_," Sydney glowered.

"Yes. Neutral indoctrination, can control influence to overwrite Reaper indoctrination, influence you to neutral predisposed impulses. Can indoctrinate you to love Navis, for example…you already do, so no behavioral changes. Or, can indoctrinate you to your own spiritual belief system, your own favorite color, your own-"

"I get the picture," Sydney sighed. "You honestly think you can do this?"

"Chances are likely, but will need more time, more research. Must be absolutely certain of process, and likely to be extremely time-consuming. Will not happen quickly…will need reinforcement, careful progression. Reapers far more technologically advanced, streamlined process over millennia. Our methods crude in comparison: surgery with sharpened rock instead of scalpel."

"Well, I ain't going anywhere any time soon," Sydney reminded him. "If you think that's our best shot then…I say let's do it."

* * *

"What did he do to her?" Helen demanded as Nan hauled the straps from the bio-bed across Shepard's waist and chest. They were necessary to keep her from bucking right off of it as another seizure took hold of her. Chakwas had switched on the brain scan and the 3D holographic representation of the organ was lighting up like Christmas.

"He simply touched her," Liara said, her fear clear in her voice. "He stated that he is able to read cellular memory and see the experiences of people or objects that he touches. He used the method on her earlier to learn galactic."

"She's reacting like she did when she touched the beacon on Eden Prime," Chakwas said, simultaneously injecting a hefty dose of phenobarbital, before glancing back up at the read-out. "Only much worse."

"Worse?" Liara breathed.

"The nanites are going into overload, drawing off the electrical impulses of her brain-stem. She's going to start losing her synaptic function in a moment!"

Helen didn't have time to order Liara out, or even really concern herself with the fact that Nan and the asari were likely about to watch Shepard's brain functions completely collapse- about to watch the captain die most unpleasantly right in front of them.

Instead, on a hunch and in sheer desperation, she grabbed a dose of lithium carbonate and stabbed it directly into the woman's carotid.

Liara jumped a little as the needle was shoved in, her hands slapping over her mouth. Stepping back a pace from the bio-bed, Nan seemed to instinctively reach for her, winding an arm around Liara either to steady her…or find her _own_ stability.

Shepard grunted once, twice, then sagged, going limp. On the display, the wild flashes of color and light slowly began to die down, and Chakwas let out a trembling breath.

"She's stabilizing," she said in relief. "Her vitals and brain functions are returning to normal. I…I don't see any obvious signs of permanent damage, but she is going to have a hell of a headache when she wakes up."

Liara closed her eyes, hand going from covering her mouth to hovering over her forehead a moment, before her jaw seemed to tighten. Straightening with sudden conviction, the asari turned, pulling away from Nan and striding for the door.

"Li, _sweetie,_" Nan gasped, then hurried after her.

Nan was spry, but Liara had determination and a longer stride, and ignored the older woman's attempts to slow her down. She reached the brig, not halting until she reached the barrier.

"What did you do to her?" she demanded furiously. The Prothean, still fairly gray as he sat upon the cot, looked at her wearily.

"I merely-"

"'Merely' _nothing_! You nearly killed her!" she growled. Nan caught up, lightly taking her arm, but Liara refused to budge.

"It was not my intent to cause her harm," Javik replied. "I wanted a better understanding of the kind of person, the kind of leader, she is. I simply viewed her memories-"

"You simply _viewed her memories_?" Liara echoed. "All of them?"

Javik was expressionless as he quietly replied, "Yes."

"Did _she_ see them at the same time that you were viewing them?" This was demanded from Nan, who still gripped Liara's elbow but was no longer trying to draw the woman away.

"Yes," Javik admitted.

"You made her relive-" Liara's gaped in disbelief. "What kind of a monster are you? What kind of a person would simply view another's life without permission? And worse…force them to relive it at the same time?"

"I needed the information," Javik glared, showing the first spark of anger since they had arrived. "I do not know how it is in your culture these days, asari, but in mine you _take_ what is needed. It is the duty of the strong to domineer the weak and the lesser. We do not ask permission to do so."

Liara's voice was little more than a heated breath. "I thought your people were civilized…enlightened. You call us barbarians but what you do…it is the duty of the strong to _protect _the weak, not take advantage of them! And if you truly saw Shepard's memories than you know that she is _anything_ but weak! What you did to her is nothing less than rape and torture! How _dare_ you!"

Javik glanced aside a moment, his jaw tightening. "Your Iovi…your '_Captain Shepard'_- she is _surprising_," he murmured at last. "She is…_resilient_. I agree with you, asari. _She_ is not weak."

His eyes shifted back to hers, four bitter embers fixing her sternly. "But I remain unconvinced about the rest of you. It was not my intention to cause her physical harm. The physiology of humans must have changed along with their intellect. The contact should not have harmed her in such a way. It was not my desire. I will refrain from creating such a contact with her again…or with any of you. I have no wish to repeat such an unpleasant experience."

"How _magnanimous_ of you," Liara glared.

"Watch yourself, asari. She is strong, but she has many dark walls surrounding a hidden monster deep within. This monster grows teeth and claws, and if allowed, it will consume her and all around her. I could hear it singing."

"What are you talking about?" Liara asked, anger fading slightly for concern. "Singing…?"

He only glared as thoughts tumbled in her mind, as she tried to figure this out. She knew about these 'dark walls' of course…they were Shepard's defense mechanism, resulting from a desire to protect both Liara and herself from what Wyatt had done to her back on Earth. But a _singing monster_…?

A thought occurred then, and she felt a cold fear clench her gut once more, so much so she momentarily forgot her anger toward the Prothean.

"She…no. No, it cannot be possible," she heard herself breathe.

"What, sweetie?" Nan asked, worried. "What isn't possible?"

Liara's anger was remembered and she shook her head, pointing at the Prothean. "No! I _refuse_ to believe it," she declared. "Shepard is _not_ indoctrinated!"

"Of _course_ she is not!" Javik snorted disdainfully. "The indoctrinated were used as spies and traitors in my cycle, infiltrating our ranks. For a very long time, we had no understanding of how to detect them, and they destroyed our defenses from within, betrayed our locations. However by my time, we discovered how to sense the taint of indoctrination. Early parts of the process can still remain unknown, but once it is past a certain point we can feel it through the connection…even our Vis were programmed to sense it without direct contact. I myself have touched countless indoctrinated souls…I could not mistake it. Your Shepard is not indoctrinated by the Reapers, of that much I can be sure."

Simultaneously relieved and baffled, Liara lowered her hand, pressing it lightly against her stomach. "Then…I truly do not understand. What 'singing monster'?"

"It was unclear," he said. "There was too much at once. Too much pain and darkness…it was overwhelming, and I had to withdraw contact. I cannot identify it, but rest assured asari…it is _there_. And it is _dangerous_."

* * *

The flame wavered only slightly, a nearly unnoticeable tremble shivering the teardrop of yellow and orange. It touched to the end of the cigar, consuming eagerly and brightening to a deep red glow.

Snapping the lighter closed, Shepard idly tucked it into her pocket, thin fingers of smoke filtering up through her hair as she leaned one hand against the wall, head hanging a little. Her lips were pinched a bit around the stogie, and she seemed to wallow in the smell and sensation before finally drawing it away and exhaling.

Her door chimed.

"Come in," she grumped, straightening a little and taking another draw. Weary dark eyes traced the motion of the fish in her tank before her brows knit with irritation. "I said _come in_!"

The door remained closed. Glancing at it she lifted her voice, ashing the cigar carelessly on the floor. "EDI, who the fuck is at my door?"

"_No one is at your door, Captain."_

"Bullshit, I just heard the chime."

"_Shepard, I am showing your door has not sounded its chime for the last fourteen hours. No one but yourself has embarked on the lift up to your quarters in the last nine."_

"I just _heard_ the fucking chime!" Shepard insisted, even as she strode across her office area and to her door. It opened revealing the small and inarguably empty anteroom. Scowling, she turned and re-entered her quarters.

"Run a diagnostic on the damn door," she ordered.

"_Diagnostic complete. There are no errors or malfunctions, Shepard. Your door systems are performing perfectly."_

"Great," she grumbled around her smoke. "So now I'm hearing-"

Her door chimed.

"Don't tell me _that_ didn't just happen, EDI," she ordered. "_Someone_ is at my goddamn door!"

"_Yes, Shepard, Dr. T'son-"_ EDI began, halting as the door slid open and Liara stepped in.

"Shepard," Liara began with gentle worry, walking over. "Why did you leave the infirmary?"

"Because Helen tells me all I need is rest," Del replied moodily. "I can do that up here just as well as down there. Were you buzzing my door just a minute ago?"

"No, I just came up," Liara replied, puzzled.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, of course."

Shepard glanced away, and Liara looked at her in concern. After a moment she tried again. "You came up to rest, and yet you are not resting-"

Liara reached a hand out. Shepard glowered and turned away, walking over to the sofa and haphazardly tapping her cigar off on the tray on the table.

"There's too much to do to rest. I still have a summit to plan."

"Del…"

Crossing to her, Liara sat down beside her, reaching out and taking her hand before brushing some hair back behind her ear. "Shepard, I am frightened for you," she admitted. "What Javik did-"

"Is a mistake he doesn't need to repeat any goddamn time soon. If seeing my whole goddamn life doesn't make him shy away from doing that again without someone's permission, then I don't know what will."

"I am less concerned about _him_ experiencing it, than _you_," Liara told her. "He got what he deserved. What _you_ do not deserve is being forced to re-experience-"

"They're my memories, Liara," Shepard reminded her. "They're in my head every goddamn day, it's nothing new."

"There is a difference between possessing such memories and being forced to relive them…_again_," Liara pressed. "First Wyatt, and now-"

"Don't say that man's name!" Shepard snapped, getting to her feet, flicking the end of her cigar at the tray as she did so. It missed, tumbling over the table a moment before coming to a smoldering rest, unnoticed.

"I am sorry," Liara said sadly. "Shepard, this is all so much…the war, these insane pressures that have been put upon you-…please, stop. _Talk to me_."

Shepard was pacing back and forth, a frown on her face. Liara rose, intercepting her and sliding her arms around her waist. Shepard sighed and seemed to sag a little, resting her forehead on Liara's shoulder.

"I'm ok, Tianlán," she murmured.

"Shepard, I know that you're strong," Liara said softly. "You are the strongest person I have ever encountered, but you are only human-"

"Am I?" Shepard huffed. "After Cerberus, the Prothean beacons- I'm not sure I have anything _left_ that is human."

"Del, that is not true, and you are speaking of physical matters as if they define who you _are_. You are stubborn, courageous, compassionate- all the best traits that humanity has to offer. If nothing else, what you have been through only amplifies them. You are not only human, you are an embodiment of _everything_ humanity _is_ and _can be_."

Shepard closed her eyes a moment before releasing Liara, raking a hand through her hair, lightly tugging on her silver locks as if in irritation. "I'm also foolhardy, temperamental, bullish, stupid-"

"Del!"

Shepard waved a hand, shaking her head. "I think I just need to be alone for a while, Li. I just…my head hurts, and I just want to be alone."

Liara lowered her gaze, feeling so helpless. The one she loved was suffering, and she had no idea how to even begin to help…especially if Del continuously pushed her away.

_Shepard loves you, Liara. She just needs time…you know how she hates appearing weak, even in front of you. She's tired, she's been through a lot the last few days…she just needs time_.

"I shall be here if you need me," she said softly, then gently lay her hand on Del's back. "_Whenever_ you need me."

"I know, Li…thank you," Shepard murmured.

"I love you, Shepard."

"I love you too," Del echoed after a breath. Liara let her hand drop, and reluctantly turned, leaving the _Normandy_'s captain alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"_It keeps falling apart," Shepard growled in frustration as she tried to assemble the broken, smoldering pieces of the Earth model. They kept crumbling to ash and embers in her hands, burning her palms and yet seemingly never-ending. Out through the door, she could see Liara running through the garden, making her __**Normandy**__ model swoop and glide._

"_Everything you touch falls apart, doesn't it?" Wyatt asked. He was seated across from her, his inane and vacuous grin on his face, his glasses taking the light and breaking it into cold lances. Her dark eyes shifted up toward him but she could not stop working, fingers sifting through the ash, determined to put it all together._

"_That's because you're doing it wrong," Wyatt told her, leaning over the table, his grin widening as he drew in close. "You're doing it all wrong, Shepard. Open your eyes…and stop being blind."_

_Hands snatched out, and she could feel his blunt fingers digging into her eyes, gouging into the sockets and ripping the orbs free. She could feel the hot blood, feel muscles tearing as they were ripped free, sight first brightening, and then flashing into pain-edged darkness-…_

Shepard's eyelids shot open, her pupils flaring and then narrowing as the dim light of the room struck them. Her breath seemed to stutter half a moment before it released in a blast of relief.

_Another fucking dream_.

Pushing herself into a sit, she wiped a hand over her eyes, glancing at the clock. She had slept just over six hours, but if anything she felt more tired than she had before. Getting to her feet, she started toward her bathroom, then halted.

Her guitar was sitting on the floor in her office, the open case propped up nearby.

She stared at it a moment, then turned her head and looked toward its usual spot, as if it would appear right back where it belonged.

Where she'd _left _it.

_I didn't take my guitar out. I __**know**__ I didn't take my guitar out…_

Frowning, she went over and picked it up. It appeared undamaged, and was frustratingly silent on the matter of how it got moved. Putting it back in its case and snapping the lid she called out.

"EDI, who was in my room?"

"_Dr. T'Soni departed your room six hours and nine minutes ago,"_ the AI responded helpfully.

"That was _before_ I went to sleep. Who was in here while I was sleeping?"

"_No one has entered your quarters since Dr. T'Soni departed,"_ EDI answered.

"_**Bullshit,"**_ Shepard growled, setting the case aside and going to her console. "Show me all video footage of my quarters since Dr. T'Soni departed until now."

"_Of course, Shepard."_

The security footage appeared on the console. Shepard watched as Liara left, the little holographic Del broodily smoking another cigar as she sat on the edge of the bed. So far, all was as it had happened.

After about five minutes, cigar nothing but ash, Del lay down and closed her eyes. A few moments later she restlessly sat up again, then picked up her guitar case.

_No…no, that didn't happen. I never did that_.

She carried the case up to the small office area, opened it, and sat in her chair for a while, idly plucking at the instrument before she seemed to get irritated. She set it down on the floor…

_I would never put my guitar on the floor!_

…fished out a bottle of whiskey, and paced a while as she downed more than half of it. Finally, half an hour after she remembered going to sleep, she wandered back down to the bed and lay down.

"That did _not_ happen," she growled under her breath. "EDI! I want a full diagnostic scan on the security cams and feeds in my quarters. Someone has been tampering with them."

"_Of course, Shepard."_

Straightening, Del didn't even notice the faint tremble in her hand as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"That _**did not**_ happen…"


	23. Chapter 23

The bottle of whiskey, half gone, was just as silent on matters as the guitar had been. Shepard held it in her hand, staring at it with depthless, motionless eyes, before she almost too carefully returned it to the top of the desk.

Half a bottle, perhaps, but nowhere near enough to even make the marine really _drunk_, let alone induce amnesia and blackout. Shepard would have to down a bottle of the much stronger pris para in her stash for that, if not _more_.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut again, then spoke. "EDI, how long until we're back at the Citadel?"

"_One hour, Shepard_."

" Thank you."

"_Are you all right, Shepard_?"

"I'll be fine, EDI, thank you," she replied, lowering her head and resting her fingertips on the desk a moment.

_Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just losing my goddamn mind, that's all_.

Accessing her omni-tool, she sent a private ping out. A few moments later, it was answered.

_{Shepard?}_

"Hey, Tianlán…listen. I'm sorry about last night-"

_{It is all right, Del. I understand-}_

"No, it's _not_ all right," Shepard said softly. "I was in a bad head space and I took it out on you. Listen…we'll be at the Citadel soon and I have some work I have to do but…you want to meet for lunch? If I remember right there's a café on the Presidium I haven't terrorized yet."

_{I would like that very much,}_ Liara replied gently. _{I…have some business as well, first. Should we say, about one o'clock?}_

"That should work," Del smiled faintly. "Thanks, Liara. I have to clear with Chakwas before she hunts me down, then I gotta get up to the CIC and doubtless put out a dozen fires. I'll see you this afternoon."

Switching off the tool she headed for her bathroom to clean up and change. She still had to figure out what she was going to do with Javik, but for right now she was perfectly content with letting him cool his heels a bit in the brig. Given circumstances, she was not particularly eager to see his face again anytime soon.

* * *

Liara moved through the lower wards, occasionally pausing at a stall or kiosk as she did so. Though the Citadel still remained largely untouched by the grim goings-on in the rest of the galaxy, hints of it could be seen here and there.

There were a lot more military uniforms, for one. Posters and power ads requested donations or volunteers for the war effort, one repeating ad she saw quite often touted a place called 'Sanctuary'- some sort of war aide and refugee camp that had been set up on Horizon. While it was not on her particular route, she also heard several people talking about a small refugee area that had been opened on the docks.

The war had not come directly to the Citadel, perhaps, but people were at least _talking_ about it, even if the talk was in hushed, worried whispers.

Approaching a small kiosk at the edge of one of the markets, Liara was filing through their inventory when she felt a heavy hand suddenly rest against her shoulder. At the same time, the firm and unmistakable barrel of a gun pressed against her ribs.

"Dr. T'Soni," a deep, familiar voice greeted. "No biotics, no movement. Behave yourself and you won't be hurt. By _me_, anyway."

She held perfectly still while her small pistol was drawn out of the holster on her back. Her blue eyes still fixed to the inventory screen, her voice low as she replied.

"I remember you."

"I'm a hard man to forget," came the reply. "It seems your path has intercepted the Broker's yet again. I know all asari are not _this_ foolish."

"I am still young," she murmured. The giant salarian snorted a laugh.

"You will not grow to be _old_ this way."

"What do you want?" Liara asked softly.

"Your presence is required. I have orders to deliver you, nothing more."

"I suppose a more polite invitation from the Broker was too much to ask."

"I suppose. _Move_. To your left."

As nonchalantly as she was able, Liara obeyed, the salarian sticking close.

Tazzik. She'd butted heads with him before, years ago when she was retrieving Shepard's body. She had been shocked when she'd first seen him…it was not usual for salarians to be so _big_. Humans varied widely in size, breadth, height and color, but salarians were not nearly so genetically diverse. He was a mutation, an aberration, so rare as to be almost an impossibility.

He was also a dedicated and extremely efficient agent of the Shadow Broker. What he _didn't_ know was that Liara was now the Broker, and had arranged her own retrieval. She obeyed him of course, giving him no reason to take motion against her. Not that he _would_…his loyalty was almost as unusual as his size. If the Broker had told him not to hurt her so long as she complied, then he wouldn't- so long as she complied.

They moved through a few small streets, the only looks drawn those of sheer wonder to see the salarian, the asari with him all but completely unnoticed. Tazzik, used to the stares, was non-reactive and remained firm in his guidance. Less than ten minutes after departing the kiosk, they were arriving at the door of a rented apartment.

Reaching out, he touched the pad, unlocking and opening it.

"_In_," he ordered. She obeyed, stepping into the room and pausing while he shut the door again from the outside. The moment it was relatched- the room now soundproof and Tazzik on the outside- Liara moved forward toward the bedroom, nodding at the drell standing just inside. An older human man in battered armor leaned on the open door jamb, turning his scarred face to regard her.

Unlike Tazzik, Feron and Zaeed both were well aware of her position as the broker. Feron returned her nod of greeting, Massani simply watched her.

"The room has been scanned seven times for any monitoring devices," the drell informed her as she approached. "We are secure."

"He is within?"

"Yeah," Zaeed grunted. "Puling little worm hasn't stopped grinning the whole damn time. His elevator doesn't quite reach the top floor, I figure."

Stepping past the merc, her eyes immediately fixed to the human man sitting on the pristinely made bed. What hair he had was mussed, one eye edged with bruised flesh beneath his glasses. His hands were shackled in his lap but he was otherwise unrestrained, dressed in only a pair of trousers. He lifted his eyes as she strode in, smiling serenely.

"Ah. My first guess was the correct one."

"You were expecting me?" she asked coldly.

"Yes," he told her honestly. "If not you, then perhaps the turian. The quarian would be too cowardly-"

Liara's hand flashed blue and swept to the side, the biotic blow hard enough to turn the man's head and drop him to the mattress. After a moment, he stretched his jaw, awkwardly working his way back into a sit.

"All right," he said amiably. Liara narrowed her eyes.

"You are a learned man, a doctor," she said quietly. "I will not waste your time or mine explaining to you exactly why you are here."

"Your explanation and mine would differ quite drastically, I suspect," he said calmly.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," he told her. "In _your_ opinion, I am here because I endangered your claim. Stepped into your territory as it were. I threatened the bag of meat you're fucking-"

The wave of blue swept the man off the bed, lifting him into the air. He whirled as he swept at the wall beside the door, before he slammed into it with his back, hanging there pinned and coughing for air.

Liara advanced to within a few inches of him, her normally serene blue eyes now the color of the sea during a storm. The man coughed again, then chuckled weakly.

"I notice I upset you," he pointed out.

"Then the level of your intelligence is higher than I thought," she retorted sarcastically. "What you did to Del Shepard is unforgiveable!"

"Is it?" Wyatt asked. "From whose perspective?"

"From the perspective of any rational sapient mind-"

"So you would do _this_ for anyone else? Had it been someone you had never met, instead of the illustrious Shepard…would we still be in the midst of this dance? I don't think so, Dr. T'Soni. You can drop this pretense. I know the truth as well as you do."

"What pretense? What _truth_?"

"The pretense that you love her, of course," he said cheerfully.

"Perhaps _you_ do not understand the meaning of the word," she glared. "I _do_ love Shepard. More than you will ever be able to comprehend."

He snorted. "You don't love her. She's a means to reproduction for you, that's all. You don't know what love even _means_, you just mimic it, to lure the more enlightened into your snare. You're a parasitically advantageous species, _asari_. You use _other _species to perpetuate your own, ensuring a dwindling of their numbers and an increase of your own. _When in doubt, breed them out_, and all that."

She drew her hand back slightly, the man pulling away from the wall a moment before slamming back into it with a bark of pain.

"Told you. Fucker is a nutcase," Zaeed interjected.

"You are _**blind**_," Liara snarled, her voice stone and her eyes never leaving Wyatt's. "You know _nothing_ about my people, and you understand _nothing_ of your own. All you see are your own psychotic prejudices. Del Shepard has saved countless lives, and she is fighting to save even more. She knows the true meaning of the word honor, sacrifice, and compassion. She knows what it is to shed blood for her people, to give everything of herself for others…and what did you give her as a reward? You tortured her, tried to drive her insane!"

For the first time, Wyatt went from bafflingly upbeat to ferocity, the change coming over him with alarming speed. "You _stupid fucking squid-head_!" he snarled. "**You** know _nothing_! Shepard took everything it means to be human and _spit in its eye_!"

Just as quickly as his temper rose it vanished again, and he smiled. "No matter, though. That will change."

"Shepard will _never_ change. She is _true_ humanity, not the short-sighted, cruel, barbaric insanity that _you_ embrace. She is stronger than what you did to her. You did _not_ succeed, Dr. Wyatt-"

"Oh, _that_ remains to be seen," he told her, then narrowed his eyes intently. "Do not pretend to understand my motivations or what I have done, Dr. T'Soni."

"I _know_ what you have done," Liara told him. "My feelings aside, you tried to destroy the only hope any of us have to stop the Reapers."

She stepped a little closer, her eyes like ice as they met his. Silent threat passed between the two of them before he donned that obnoxious little smile once again.

"Are you going to kill me, Dr. T'Soni?" he asked. "Are you a murderer now?"

"You do not know me, Dr. Wyatt," she told him softly. "I have taken life before."

"In combat," he reminded her. "It's not the same thing. You've never held someone unarmed and helpless in your grasp before. No matter the monster you _think_ they are, can you do that, I wonder? Hold someone helpless-say, shackled and pinned against a wall-and kill them? Watch their blood flow, their life fade from their eyes, knowing it was at _your_ hands? Cold, deliberate, malicious? I don't think you are capable."

"You hurt the woman I love," Liara said with deceptive gentility. "You threatened everything that I hold dear…everything I would give my own blood to keep safe. You are insane, sadistic, and a _blight_ upon this galaxy."

"This is not about me, but about _you_," he reminded her, his grin spreading as his voice dropped conspiratorially. "_You_ are _not_ a killer."

She stepped back, her biotics fading away, leaving Wyatt to drop the foot or so to the floor. Off balance, he collapsed forward onto the carpet. As she turned away from him, striding for the bedroom door, he barked a laugh, half pushing himself up.

"You _see_? I told you! I _knew_ that you couldn't do it! Weak, cowardly squid-head, I _knew_ you weren't a killer!"

Liara's eyes met Zaeed's and she nodded almost imperceptibly as she stepped past him and out into the living area. Zaeed drew his pistol, his scarred face grim as he strode over toward Wyatt.

"No, but _I __**am**_," he snorted as he disdainfully planted a boot against the man's bare shoulder and shoved him onto his back.

At the singe sharp snap of the gun, Liara paused and stiffened a bit, eyes drifting downward before she seemed to steady herself. Feron came up to her side, lightly touching her shoulder.

"You all right?"

She nodded once. "Make sure this is cleaned up, and that Zaeed gets his pay."

"Of course," he replied.

"Keep your pay," Zaeed told her as he stepped out of the bedroom. "Glad to do it. Shepard deserved better than that fucker. He got off easy if you ask me."

"Thank you," Liara murmured. Feron lit his omni-tool.

"Tazzik? Come in please."

Almost instantly the huge salarian stepped in, his face unreadable. Feron regarded him without fear. "Dr. T'Soni is free to go, per the Broker's order. She knows now the price for getting out of line again."

The salarian's eyes wandered toward the open bedroom door and what lay just within. He snorted and nodded.

"Then I trust we won't meet again," he said, looking fixedly at the asari. She didn't look at him, merely stepped around him and strode out of the apartment.

She was two streets away before she began to cry.

* * *

The café was on a large, open air veranda that overlooked the Presidium lakes. Bright synthetic sunshine streamed down from the bright, synthetic sky, and the air was rich with the fragrance of mouth-watering food, flowering plants, and cool water.

Shepard was standing at the far railing, leaning on it as she looked out over the vista before her. Liara stood on the steps leading down into the café, watching the human woman silently for several moments before she finally moved forward, weaving between tables as she headed toward her.

At the light touch on her shoulder, Del turned her head and straightened with a tired smile. "Hey, you," she greeted, and to the asari's relief, she slid an arm around her waist and bent in, kissing her on the cheek. Liara's eyelashes fluttered shut a moment, savoring the connection.

"Hello, Shepard," she whispered in return.

"I'm glad you came," Del admitted, then cleared her throat. "I…um. I hope you're hungry?"

"I am," Liara told her, though in truth she really wasn't that hungry at all. Lifting a hand she lightly touched Shepard's face, her thumb brushing over the other woman's cheekbone a moment.

"You ok?" Shepard asked.

"I am here with you," Liara told her with a faint smile. "That is all I need."

* * *

They were halfway through their meal, and all the weight that pressed upon both of them seemed to have finally lifted up and gone away. Shepard was actually smiling and laughing, a light in her eyes that Liara hadn't seen in a very long time. They kept the drinking to a minimum but enjoyed everything else, glad simply to be together.

After a time, however, Liara noticed the brooding look return to Shepard's eyes, the human woman's levity seeming to fade a bit as she continually glanced toward the bar. Taking notice, Liara inclined her head.

"Del? Something wrong?"

"No, it's…I'll be right back," Shepard said, excusing herself. As she rose she leaned over and planted a kiss on Liara's temple, before turning and striding toward the bar.

* * *

"Help you?" The older asari standing behind the polished wood of the café bar seemed to unconsciously mimic Shepard's stance as the human captain halted on the opposite side.

"Yeah, actually," Del told her, leaning on one of the bar stools with a stern expression. "You can tell me _why_ you are glaring daggers at me and my girlfriend."

"I wasn't glaring daggers at you and your girlfriend," the bartender said evenly. "I was glaring daggers at _you_."

"What's your problem with _me_? Don't like humans dating asari?" Shepard asked. The older asari planted her hands on the bar and leaned forward a little, speaking in a low voice.

"I don't like certain human _captains_ that used to work for _Cerberus_ hanging around with _my_ little girl."

At the word 'Cerberus' Del's eyes sharpened dangerously, only to blink into shock and bafflement a moment later. "You…what? Your _what_?"

"My little girl," the bartender clarified slowly. "Or are you deaf too?"

"_You're_ Liara's other mother?"

"Her _father_, yes," the bartender sniffed, straightening and folding her arms.

"No, hang on. Back up the fucking train. Liara doesn't know who her father is. Benezia never told her."

"I know. Nezzy didn't want her to know. She left me before the kid was born."

"And it's just _total fucking coincidence_ that you're _here_. An asari Matriarch, working at a bar in a little café on the Citadel?" Shepard glowered. "Yeah, I don't buy that."

"No one's asking you to."

"Then why are you _here_?"

"Look, babe…Liara's a smart kid. Too smart for her own good, some would say. You don't think the Matriarchs know who she is? When Nezzy-…when that mess with Saren went down, they wanted an eye kept on Liara. That only increased when she became-…well, _you know who_. They don't quite trust her, you understand. It's my job to keep tabs on her."

"Tabs…you mean, make sure she doesn't do anything to-…" Shepard blinked, then glared furiously. "And what happens if she does something the Matriarchs consider out of line?"

"They'd want to take care of the problem," the woman told her. "Permanently."

Shepard's hand shot out, her finger jabbing up just an inch from the old asari's nose. "Now you listen to _me_," she snarled. "_Anyone_ tries to hurt _**my**__ girl_ and I will fucking _hunt them down_. I don't care _who _they are, I will _end them_."

The Matriarch snorted, leaning over the bar threateningly. "Don't try and intimidate _me_, honey. I was raised by a _krogan_."

"I eat krogan for _breakfast_," Shepard snarled back, also leaning on the bar, the two women glaring daggers only inches away from each other.

"Are you two _quite_ finished?" Liara's voice interrupted, and they turned their heads to see her standing there, arms folded and regarding them with an uplifted brow.

"Li, this is-" Shepard began as she straightened, only to be cut off.

"Matriarch Aethyta Komaravolu," Liara stated evenly. "She is assigned by the other Matriarchs to keep an eye on me to make sure I stay in line. She is also my father."

When both women stared at her, shocked, she shrugged slightly. "I am a very good information broker," she reminded them.

"You _knew_ who she was the entire time and you never spoke to her?" Shepard asked.

"I saw no need," Liara replied. "She also seemed disinclined to approach me-"

"Why didn't _you_ talk to _her_?" Del demanded, her eyes now shifting to the wide-eyed Matriarch.

"Nezzy didn't want me to have anything to do with her," Aethyta defended. "She's grown now, doesn't need me coming in and messing up her life."

"No, you just _watch it_," Shepard pointed out.

"Hey, don't you tell me-"

"That is _enough_," Liara said firmly. Shepard, however, didn't back down, only turned her attention to Liara.

"No, you two need to _talk_!" Shepard ordered, pointing at the table they had vacated. "I'll be over there. You. _Talk_."

"Shepard-"

"_Talk_!"

Liara scowled, then gestured in helpless frustration. "Oh, _fine_."

Looking pointedly at the matriarch, Shepard retreated back to the table, sitting where she could watch them but not hear, before she picked up her drink.

* * *

"Well," Aethyta began grudgingly, after Shepard had walked away. "_She's _got a quad, doesn't she?"

"You have _no_ idea," Liara said wearily, perching on the bar stool. "So."

"So…" Aethyta echoed, looking at the younger asari a long moment, before clearing her throat. "You want a drink?"

"Yes, please," Liara sighed. "I have a feeling I am going to need it."

The matriarch pulled out two glasses, filling both. One she moved toward Liara, the other she picked up. "I think we both do," she said, before downing it.

"Why did you never try and speak to me?" Liara asked after another long, awkward pause.

"Didn't want to disrupt your life," Aethyta told her. "Nezzy sent pictures of you when you were born, a few as you got older. Sent a vid once, when you were still small. Not even crawling yet. Pudgy little thing, laying on your belly, trying desperately to figure it out. You couldn't quite get the hang of the way you were supposed to move your arms and legs so you just kind of…_lay_ there and bounced up and down."

Liara chuckled despite herself, feeling her cheeks heat a little. Aethyta smiled, then sighed. "You had a good life, kiddo. I'd…I'd have just messed it up."

"I do not believe that," Liara said softly.

"It's true. I mess a lot of things up. No one wanted to listen to me, not even when I became a Matriarch. My ideas were too radical. Huh. All I said was that we should try building our own mass relays and they about laughed the blue off my ass."

Liara stared at her. "But…that is a brilliant idea."

"No one else thought so," Aethyta told her. "So…here I am. I figured I might as well be useful at something and I'd rather it be me watching over you than someone a little less…_invested_."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Well. You probably already know this but-…you have a half-sister. Vivek."

"I know," Liara replied softly. "I have met her, briefly…and little Nora. My niece, I suppose."

"Yeah. I was a bit iffy about her marrying a salarian but…well, _her_ father was a hanar so, who am I to talk?"

"It is sad that she lost him on Omega," Liara murmured. "But at least she still has her daughter, thanks to Shepard."

Aethyta blinked at her. "Shepard is the one that saved Nora from the plague?"

"Yes," Liara told her. "You did not know?"

"Vivek and I-…we don't talk much these days. Haven't in a while, actually. I've only seen pictures of Nora. As I said…I mess a _lot_ of things up."

She canted her head, looking just past Liara to where Shepard was sitting. "So. Shepard. She's awfully defensive of you."

Liara's expression softened and she looked down into her cup. "Yes," she said. "She loves me very much."

"And you feel the same?"

"I do," Liara agreed.

"Hmm. I remember when I fell in love with Nezzy. How could I not? I mean, sweet, smart…and that _rack_-"

Liara's eyes widened. "I…do not need to hear about that part!"

"What? Your mother was smokin' hot, nothing to be ashamed of."

"I am not _ashamed_ of it, I just-"

"What then?"

"I do not feel the need to discuss my mother's…_physical attributes_."

"Fine then. Let's discuss Shepard's," Aethyta said, grinning as she planted an elbow on the bar. "Not sure how in to humans I am but I have to admit, if I were a century or two younger…._mmmm_. She's got a _fire,_ don't she? Maybe not a vid-model body but definitely nice in _all_ the right place-"

"I cannot _believe_ you are talking about this," Liara groaned, fingers pressed to her forehead.

"What's wrong with it? She's _your_ girlfriend, hon. Don't you find her sexually appea-"

"_Of course I do_!" Liara hissed. "But I do _not_ feel the need to discuss it with my _father_!"

"Why not? It's not like I haven't been around the block. Hell, I could even give you a few pointers."

"_I do not need pointers_!"

"Oh, you don't?" Aethyta smirked. "So, tell me then. You ever just thrown her down on the bed and ripped that uniform off and-"

"_No!_"

"Oh, come _on_!" Aethyta laughed. "If you're doing it all civilized, hon, you're doing it _wrong_."

"Can we _please_ talk about something else?"

"Fine, fine. If you wanna be that way about it, no skin off mine," Aethyta shrugged. "What are her plans, anyway?"

"Her plans?"

"Yeah, I have to know what her intentions are, don't I? I'm a piss-poor father but I do reserve _that_ particular right. I won't tolerate someone playing around with your heart because they think you're a toy or something."

"Shepard is not like that. She loves me very much."

"Hmm. You two talk about bonding? Kids?"

"We…have discussed it. Briefly," Liara admitted. "I know that she wants to spend her life with me, it seems that things just keep…getting in the way."

"I'll let you in on something, kiddo…for what it's worth, anyway," Aethyta told her. "Things _always_ keep getting in the way. Life doesn't stop, perfect moments never come the way we want them. Granted, the Reapers _are_ a pretty big piss on your parade, but the fact remains; nothing happens unless we _make_ it happen. You two love each other. That's all you need, sweetheart."

Liara lowered her head, then glanced furtively around. Shepard was looking off toward the lakes again, sipping at her drink and stirring her food around idly with her fork. Looking back at Aethyta, she sighed.

"Did you really love my mother?" Liara asked.

"With all my heart, kiddo. I _still_ do. She was…she was one of a kind."

"Yes, she was," Liara murmured. "I…should probably tell you, too. Vivek is not the only half-sister that I have."

Aethyta blinked at her. "I don't-…Nezzy had another baby?"

"No, n-not _exactly_," Liara replied. "Were…were you aware of Gellian Osco?"

Aethyta straightened a bit, and by the way her eyes flattened and her face turned to stone, Liara already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I was _familiar_ with Osco," she said. "Whining, sycophantic little puppy dog, always following Nezzy around like she was looking for a leg to hump."

"Distrubing but…_apropos_ descriptive," Liara replied. "Did they…do you know if they-"

"_No_," Aethyta scowled. "Nezzy and I didn't talk at all after you were about four or five, but we still had mutual friends. She felt sorry for that twisted little cretin, that's _all_. Treated her like a goddamn wounded bird, kept trying to fix her. Should have left well enough alone, you ask me…but no. Osco might have leapt at the chance but thank the Goddess Benezia had better taste than that."

"I see," Liara replied, feeling oddly relieved. So, Osco's deeper affections were one-sided, after all. "Well, after Mother…after she was gone, Osco took some of her DNA and manipulated it. She grew another daughter artificially, in a lab."

"_What_?"

"Yes. Her name is Eír. I have met her, talked with her some. She is…she is having a very difficult time right now, but she is a sweet and compassionate girl deep inside. Something she has sadly forgotten in light of the death of her bondmate."

"If Osco didn't do this until after Nezzy passed away, then how could she possibly be old enough to have a bondmate?"

"Part of the genetic manipulation. She was made to grow at an accelerated rate. She is more or less equivalent to myself in growth and maturity now. Osco wanted…well, she wanted her to follow another path than she ultimately did, and after Osco died Eír tried to start a new life with an asari named Shrive Seko."

"Misira Seko's daughter," Aethyta realized. "Yes, I had heard that her youngest had run off with another asari…most of the Matriarchs were completely scandalized, of course. All I thought was, 'good for her'."

"Yes, that is her," Liara admitted, then shook her head. "Or, was."

"The poor kid," Aethyta shook her head. "I couldn't stand that Osco but…if she's part of Nezzy than I know she's something special. Just like you are."

Liara glanced up at her. "That is…that is kind of you to say."

"I mean it," Aethyta told her. "Not even a hundred and ten yet and look at you. Professor, archaeologist…_you know what_. In love with the most famous hero in the galaxy, someone who'd kill or die for you. Making _history_. Most girls your age have a tenth of the brains…and wear a tenth of the clothes on some stage somewhere. I know. That's what _I_ was doing back then. You're something else, Liara. I'm so proud of you. Never doubt that."

Liara felt her eyes heat up slightly, surprised at the depth of emotion that stirred through her at hearing those words. She regarded her nearly empty glass a moment, Aethyta watching her before she cleared her throat again.

"Well, I tell you what. Since you and your lovely captain are out saving the universe…I have some friends- well, _daughters_ of friends. Asari commandos. Sweet girls, bit saucy, especially that squad chief of theirs, Atyana. Anyway. I'll give you their contact. You need them, for _anything_…they'll come running. I promise."

"Wait…" Liara blinked at her. "You are giving me asari commandos?"

"Well, you're too damned old for me to buy you a pony!" Aethyta snorted. Liara smiled, then reached out and gently took the matriarch's hand.

"Do you know what?" she asked.

"What?" the matriarch hedged warily.

"You are the _best_ Dad in the whole galaxy."


	24. Chapter 24

Heading back toward the _Normandy_ the human and asari walked both hand in hand and in silence. As they neared the docks, Del glanced over at Liara, watching her face a moment.

"You ok?" she ventured. "The conversation with your…with _Aethyta_, went ok?"

"Yes," Liara replied, then smiled slightly. "She reminds me a great deal of you, actually."

"That so?" Del chuckled. "Well, they say that girls tend to fall for people just like their fa-…other moth-…_fathers_."

Liara's brows knit a little. "The word 'father' troubles you?"

"No, no, it's not that it troubles me," Shepard told her. "Just…it's weird, calling a female-…well, what _looks_ like a female, a _father_."

"Oh? Biologically that is what she is, the one that provided the catalyst to conception but did not actually carry and bear the child."

"I know," Shepard said. "But humans…you know, it's just so ingrained in our heads. The term 'father' in our minds is synonymous with _male_. It's as awkward to call someone who has all of the recognizable physical female attributes 'father' as it would be to call them 'he'."

"Hmm. Interesting. I can perhaps understand that." She paused, scrutinizing Shepard's face as she held to her hands. "It must be strange for you then, to know that if you and I were ever to have a child, that you would be the _father_, and not the mother."

"It's…a _little_ weird," Shepard admitted. "I mean, intellectually I understand it but culturally it's still a bit of a shock."

Moving closer, she brushed one hand affectionately over Liara's crest. "That's still a ways away, at any rate, right? I'll adjust."

Liara couldn't help the smile as she drew Shepard in close. Part of her thrilled at her words. Not a full year ago, Shepard had seemed completely uncomfortable with the idea of being a parent, and while she clearly wanted to be with Liara, the possibility of daughters entering the equation had made her skittish. Now she had gone from lamenting what a horrid parent she was afraid she'd be…to simply saying _I'll adjust._

Her breath lightly brushing over Shepard's ear she whispered, "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too," Shepard whispered back.

They stood there at the entrance to the dock a long moment, just holding each other, each lost in their own thoughts, before they reluctantly drew apart. As they started into the airlock, hands clasping again, Liara said, "We need to figure out what to do with Javik."

Del nodded. "I don't think he intentionally meant to hurt me. Not that it excuses his simply taking my memories without permission."

"No, it does not," Liara murmured. "To be fair, however, we must look at this from the perspective of his culture, and the shock of being so far removed from anything familiar, that it is as if he is in a new universe altogether. He has lost all his people, everything he has known."

"It would be easier to see his cultural perspective if we actually _knew_ about his culture," Shepard pointed out, then gave Liara a sideways smirk. "Would it be too tiresome for me to ask you to talk to him? I know how much you would _hate_ questioning a Prothean on their people, their traditions, their way of life…"

Liara laughed, giving Shepard a light poke wither finger. "Oh indeed, I expect it shall be quite boring," she quipped. "I mean, who in their right mind would be so interested in the _Protheans_?"

Shepard grinned, ducking and kissing her briefly before the airlock opened and allowed them into the ship. The moment it did, she was all professional again, giving Liara a nod. "I need to see if we have any more confirmations on the summit. We're running out of time and may have to make do without all the desired representatives. I will see you later this evening?"

"Of course, Shepard," Liara agreed. As she watched her stride toward the CIC, Traynor already moving to intercept, she couldn't help the inward sigh of worry. In the wake of her satisfaction over the punishment of Wyatt for the atrocity he had done, she now felt a tremendous sense of guilt. Not that she had taken the steps that she had –one did not feel guilty over killing a dangerous animal, after all. More, that Shepard knew nothing about it. For the first time since they had met, Liara was actively keeping something from her.

She knew that she would tell her, sooner or later, but sooner did not sit well with the asari. Her guilt and actions aside, it would simply be yet another burden cast upon the already exhausted, stressed, and troubled captain.

_She has enough to face right now. I cannot ask her to face this as well, small as it might seem in comparison_.

* * *

Traynor was smiling as she approached Shepard, offering her a data pad, but something about the smile seemed a little hesitant. Glancing at her with scrutiny a moment as she accepted the pad, Shepard then shifted her attention to it.

"Good news and bad, I take it?"

"Yes," Traynor admitted. "The elcor have agreed and are sending a representative. The Illuminated Primacy, however, have officially declined. They still seem to believe the neutral choice is the best one. Though, apparently the drell on Kahje have expressed an interest themselves on attending, if for no other reason than to get a better idea of what is going on. They sent a request to the Primarch to be able to send their own representative and Victus agreed."

"Good, that was the right answer," Shepard said. "They're not sneaking around the Primacy's back, are they?"

"No, the Primacy is aware and has granted their blessing."

"That may work in our favor in more ways than one, then. If the drell are convinced then perhaps they can change the Primacy's collective minds where we cannot. What about our pings?"

"Still no response," Traynor admitted. Shepard sighed.

"If they haven't answered by now, then chances are they're not going to. Halt the pings. We'll have to move forward without them."

"Understood. We are only now awaiting the asari's answer, and I believe we shall have that shortly. Councilor Tevos wanted you to contact her."

"Great, I'll be at the QEC in the war room," Shepard agreed. "Have Joker head us out of the Citadel and toward the summit rendezvous. It'll take us a few days to reach it anyway and whoever we have by then is who we have."

"Understood, Captain."

As Shepard disappeared through the door toward the war room, Traynor sent off the order to Joker, then glanced at her chrono. Her shift was more or less over.

Taking a deep breath she thought a moment, glancing almost furtively at the lift.

"Oh, stop being a coward," she admonished herself softly, then straightened and headed toward it. "EDI? Where is Dr. T'Soni at the moment?"

"_Dr. T'Soni is in her quarters."_

"Thank you. I'm signing off-duty EDI."

"_Logged and noted. Have a pleasant evening, Samantha."_

_Pleasant? I'm about to have a terrifying one_, she thought, but of course did not say it out loud. The lift seemed to take forever reaching the crew deck, and even when it opened it took her a moment to step off of it.

Unconsciously smoothing her uniform, she did not let herself to pause as she reached Liara's door and touched the chime. A moment later, it slipped open, and she stepped within.

"Good afternoon, Specialist," the asari greeted from near her desk. Sam nodded politely, her eyes inevitably drawn first to the huge screens dominating most of the room, and then to the bobbing and flashing little VI that hovered its way over.

"Good afternoon," it greeted as well.

"Good afternoon," she echoed, shifting her eyes from the orb back to the asari. "I am sorry to bother you, I know you must be extraordinarily busy, but I was hoping we could talk."

"I am trying to collect myself to go down and speak to our Prothean guest in the brig," Liara admitted. "However I can easily spare a few minutes. Please, have a seat…would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Traynor replied, before moving over and sitting in the proffered chair. Liara seated herself as well.

"What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to speak to you about the Captain, actually," Traynor told her. "The way I understand it, you two have been friends a very long time…you worked together on the original _Normandy_ and fought the Collectors together."

"We are, and we did," Liara smiled. "Was there something specific you wanted to discuss?"

"Well…I suppose I've just got a bad case of hero worship. Not just because of the stories, mind but…she saved my family on Horizon. I remember all the news reports from when she first became a Spectre, and how so many people were lambasting her and everything she did, but I couldn't quite bring myself to believe them."

"Is she aware that your family was among those on Horizon?" Liara asked. Traynor nodded.

"Oh, yes. I told her, thanked her for that."

"That is good. Unfortunately what you said is true, there seem to be so many- even now- who work so hard to cast her into an unfortunate or even a negative light. They take the smallest misconception or plain untruth and amplify it astronomically, then completely discount what she _really_ does…who she _really_ is. Sadly, sometimes I think she hears these things and thinks them true…she needs to be reminded now and again of the lives she saves, the people she truly helps. So, thank you…for thanking _her_."

Traynor, clasping her hands in her lap, looked down at them a moment and nodded. "No amount of thanks will ever be enough," she admitted. As she paused, Liara regarded her kindly.

"Was there something else?" she lightly prodded.

"Yes, actually," Traynor said, lifting her head again. "I'm sorry, I'm usually not this…_discombobulated_. Honestly I'm normally rather forthright. She's just…well, she's rather intimidating, isn't she?"

Liara smiled. "She can be, yes. But you should know, Specialist-"

"Sam, please."

"Sam," she conceded. "Shepard cares very deeply about her crew. There is nothing she won't do for anyone under her command, and she would never dismiss or turn anyone away if they had something they needed to discuss."

"That is good to know," Traynor said. "It's less about a professional discussion, however…and more about a _personal_ one. I am not quite sure how to um…to _approach_ her. I know, it's horrible…Alliance regs exist against fraternization for a reason, and I'm not even entirely sure that she's of that persuasion but-"

Liara blinked, startled, and sat back a little. Fraternization? Persuasion?

"Sam, are you asking me for advice on approaching Captain Shepard on a _romantic_ level?" She did not sound accusatory, only surprised.

Traynor colored slightly. "I know, it seems silly," she admitted. "The things she's seen and done, how could she _ever_ be interested in someone like me. I just…I don't think that I could look at myself in the mirror if I didn't at least _try. _I was hoping that, since you've known her for a while, I…why are you looking at me like that?"

The emotions that ran through Liara in just the space of a few seconds were numerous. Foremost was surprise that Traynor clearly didn't know about her and Shepard; she thought it common knowledge aboard ship, and the newsfeeds –especially the negative ones- loved to point out Shepard's 'rumored' involvement with an asari.

Next, she had a sympathetic sink in her gut. She had not had much interaction with Traynor but she was clearly a very sweet young woman. She remembered her own awkwardness with her feelings for Shepard after they'd first met, the way she'd asked Kaidan and Ash for advice. How hopeful, nervous, bashful, clumsy she'd felt. She did not relish hurting this girl's feelings.

"I am sorry," Liara told her, trying to center her thoughts, to figure the best approach. "I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You don't approve?" Sam asked tentatively. "Or…you think she won't like me?"

"No, no, that is not it at all," Liara reassured, then sighed. "I am sorry. I simply expected that you already knew. Most on the ship do, and…well, marines are such gossips at the best of times."

"Know _what_?" Sam ventured warily.

"Captain Shepard and I are _more_ than just good friends, Sam," Liara said patiently. The Specialist blinked, then stared, sitting back.

"Oh. _Oh_…I'm-oh my God…I'm _so_ sorry." Horror and fluster moved over her face and she went to rise. Reaching out, Liara tried to halt her.

"No, please…it is all right. Obviously you did not know. I am not upset, Sam-"

"N-no, it's all right, I-I should get going. Thank you for your time."

She got up and strode out of the room, her cheeks heated. Liara rose as she watched her go, then shook her head sadly. She knew how difficult it could be taking a risk, leaving yourself so vulnerable. How would she have felt if she had asked Kaidan's advice on Shepard and he had informed her that she was already involved with someone else? What if Kaidan had _been_ that someone, and she found she had asked him- more or less-how to court his own girlfriend?

_Horrifically embarrassed, monumentally stupid, and probably heart-broken_.

"I am so sorry, Sam," she murmured to the closed door.

* * *

"_The salarians agreed to this?"_ Tevos sounded surprised, her holographic form almost seemed to waver a little in reaction to it.

"They did. They are sending Dalatrass Linron," Shepard told her. "Both the turian and salarian people are well aware there will be a krogan presence at the summit, Councilor. Indeed, it was Primarch Victus's idea. I'm a bit puzzled as to why the asari seem to be balking at it."

"_Shepard, I understand that you must do what you feel is right for your people, as must the others. However we must also do what we feel is right for the asari. I apologize, but we will not be at your summit. I wish you the best of luck."_

As the image faded out, the connection broken, Shepard slammed her hand down on the edge of the console. She felt the muscles in her jaw flex tightly a moment before she straightened. "Primarch Victus, I am afraid the asari have chosen to refrain from our summit. It appears our roster is full."

"_Understood, Captain. We did the best we could. We have more than we hoped for, and it will have to be enough."_

Turning to leave the QEC, she halted abruptly as EDI interrupted her. She did not speak from the comm system as she normally did, but appeared in the doorway, utilizing her synthetic body. Shepard jolted to a halt and blinked at her a moment.

"My apologies, Captain," EDI said politely.

"No, no…no need. I just wasn't expecting you to _be_ here. Literally. Normally you keep your chassis on the bridge."

"Yes, but the crew have shown an preference to addressing this unit rather than simply speaking to me, although they can do so throughout the entire ship. I decided that since talking to the platform seems to be their preference, I would make it more widely available. That is…not incorrect, is it?"

"No, course it isn't. You make your own choices about what's comfortable for you, EDI. If it makes you happy to move through the _Normandy_ like that, then more power to you."

"I do not require additional power to utilize this unit," EDI noted with confusion, as she and Shepard moved into the war room and headed for the lift.

"That's not what I…old human saying, EDI. Just means that it's great you're exercising your freedom. Becoming more of your own person."

"Ah. It is meant in the context of empowerment and not in fuel resources. I understand."

"So, what did you need?"

"Diana Allers would like to speak to you when you have some free time. I believe she wants an interview."

Shepard grimaced a little. "She does, hmm?"

"Can I deduce from the expression on your face you are not looking forward to the prospect?"

"Not particularly but…never mind. I'll head down and talk to her as soon as I finish wrapping some things up. She been behaving herself?"

"Ms. Allers has maintained strict adherence to the guidelines you set down as a condition of her being allowed aboard," EDI told her. "She does not interrupt the crew while on duty and does not interfere in any way with ship functions or business."

"Good. Good to hear."

"If I may ask you a personal question, Shepard?"

"Shoot."

"When did you decide that you wished to pursue a romantic engagement with Dr. T'Soni?"

Shepard jolted to a halt right in front of the lift, blinking stupidly at the AI. "I'm sorry? Why-…why are you asking me that?"

"Jeff seems to have developed an affectionate attachment toward me," EDI said matter-of-factly. "I was unsure of the proper length of time that must elapse between the attachment and initiating romantic-"

"EDI, ok," Shepard held up her hands, cutting her off. "First off, it doesn't work like that. There is no…proper length of time. It's subjective. It depends on the people involved."

"I see."

"EDI, this kind of alarms me," Del admitted.

"How so?"

"Well, it's not enough for just _Joker_ to have an affection toward _you_," she said. "This is _your _life, _your_ decisions. You don't have to go into something just because the _other_ party is interested…you have to be interested _too_. Otherwise you're just doing them and yourself a huge disservice."

"I see. Is that why you neglect to flirt with Specialist Traynor?"

Shepard's eyes shot wide and she turned abruptly, hitting the control for the lift. As the door opened, she all but dragged EDI inside and closed them again.

"Have I stepped out of line?" the AI asked.

"First thing, no discussing personal matters that might embarrass someone out in public. Second thing…what the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

"I have noted that Specialist Traynor undergoes numerous physical changes whenever she interacts with you. Her pupils dilate, her pulse rate increases, and she releases several pheromone-"

"You can sense _pheromones_?"

"I can pick up microscopic chemical changes throughout the ship through my air sampling protocols. It is how I keep the atmosphere balanced and alert to any burgeoning toxic hazard. For example, your pheromones increase by a factor of twelve whenever Dr. T'Soni is in the room with you, and by a factor of sixty whenever you and she are-"

"Your life _so_ depends on you not completing that sentence," Shepard groaned, her hand over her face.

"Interesting. Dr. Solus is correct on the societal taboos most organics put upon breeding practices," EDI noted with what sounded like amusement. "As I was explaining, Specialist Traynor undergoes these physical changes when she interacts with you, and I have noted she spends an inordinate amount of time concentrating on you when you are in proximity, even if she is busy with another task. Joker describes this as a 'crush'. He seems to find it highly amusing."

"I _bet_ he does," Shepard growled under her breath. In truth, the revelation of Traynor's crush was kind of shocking.

_Am I really that oblivious? I completely missed it?_

"Look, EDI…you're not to talk to her about this, ok? I don't want you embarrassing her-"

"It was not my plan to speak to her regarding it, Shepard. I believe Liara has already done so."

Del paled. "She…_what_?"

"Specialist Traynor went down to speak to Liara over an hour ago. I believe she was seeking advice on how to approach you."

"From _Liara_?"

"Yes. Apparently she did not possess knowledge of your relationship with Dr. T'Soni, and wanted advice from someone close to you. I believe she considered asking Jeff as well, and Garrus, but Liara was the first she approached."

Shepard wondered just how long it would take to actually beat her brains out on the lift wall.

"What happened?"

"I am not entirely sure," EDI admitted. "I try not to monitor private quarters unless it is absolutely necessary. Sam left Liara's room exactly eight minutes and fifteen seconds after she entered it. She seemed…troubled. If you would like, I can access the security feeds and replay the conversation-"

"_No_! No, don't do that."

_Should I go talk to her? Should I go talk to Liara? No, talking to Traynor would only make things worse. If Liara's angry-…Liara wouldn't be angry if Traynor didn't know about us. She'd be worried she'd hurt her feelings. Jesus fuck, how did I get into this mess? As if I didn't have enough goddamn things to worry about!_

"You're not to talk about this, EDI," Shepard ordered. "Not to Traynor, not to _anyone_, understood? And if Joker makes the slightest quip about it I'm going to tap-dance on his goddamn spleen."

"Understood."

"Back to the original question, whether or not _Jeff _likes you aside, you have to like _him_ too. Be fair to yourself and him. And if you _do_ like him, and I have to fucking _kill_ him, my apologies in advance."

"Was that a joke?" EDI asked calmly.

"Sure. We'll say it was. Look, I gotta go and talk to Allers. You should get back to the bridge or…_somewhere_."

"Understood, Shepard. And thank you. This conversation has been very enlightening."

"Not the word I'd choose to describe it, but you're welcome."

The lift opened and as she stepped out of it she paused a moment, half glancing back over her shoulder. "Oh, and EDI?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

"If you _do_ like Joker…" she smiled, remembering the conversations he'd had with the AI a long time ago, when Shepard had been afraid Liara would leave her and EDI had attempted to comfort her.

"Yes?"

"You should buy him some flowers."

* * *

Two hours later, it was a drawn and weary looking Shepard that appeared at Liara's door, the asari nearly colliding with her as she strode out of it, intending on going up to the Nest. She jolted to a halt with a surprised blink, only to catch her hands on Del's shoulders as the human woman snuck an arm around her waist, walking her backward into the room once more.

"Well, what have we here?" Del asked with a faint smile.

"I was just going up to see you. I spoke with Javik at length, and he-"

"-can _wait_," Del told her, ducking her face next to Liara's neck with a weary sigh. Liara slipped her arms around her love, holding her tight in understanding.

"Yes, he can," she said gently.

Del just held her a long moment, before a brief but firm kiss pressed against her neck. Releasing her, Shepard stepped past, going to Liara's small but functional liquor service. Turning to face her, the asari inclined her head as she watched Shepard pour a couple of glasses from a small bottle of red wine.

Wine was not usually Del's speed. She much preferred drinks that tried to drink back.

"I had an interesting and rather mortifying conversation with EDI earlier," Shepard said as she poured. "A conversation in which she pointed out that, apparently, Specialist Traynor has a crush on me."

"Yes," Liara said softly. "She came to speak to me. It seems she was…_unaware_ of our relationship."

"I trust you handled her gently?" Del murmured, glancing over her shoulder.

"Of course, Shepard. I felt very badly for her. She seemed so embarrassed."

"Good. I knew better, but part of me was worried you'd be angry."

Liara stepped up to her, accepting one of the glasses as Shepard offered it, her other hand resting lightly on the human's back. "Why would I be angry?" she asked. "How can I blame anyone for being enamored with you when I have not yet gotten over it myself?"

Shepard gave her a wry smile and a pointed look. "You _trying_ to get over it, T'Soni?"

"Yes, but it is _exhausting_," Liara said with a long-suffering sigh. "Just when I think I am free of your machinations, I slip and tumble even deeper."

"That so?" Shepard asked. "How deep are you willing to go?"

Liara sensed more to those words than mere teasing, and paused, searching Del's dark brown eyes a moment. They looked so exhausted, smoldering under burdens that she still kept locked tightly within, fears she could not or would not articulate. At the same time, however, they held an intensity she could not recall seeing before. It wasn't the same kind of intensity she got when she was extremely angry, or about to unleash a 'natural disaster', as Nan put it. It was different somehow, and somehow so much stronger.

"For you?" Liara asked, a little confused. Del took a drink of her wine, then set it aside, liberating Liara's as well and placing it beside it's mate, before both her arms wound around Liara's waist.

"Do you remember when we were on Menae, and you tied that Reaper dragon into a knot?"

"I do," Liara replied, wondering what that could _possibly_ have to do with the conversation.

"Do you remember what I said to you right afterward?"

Liara thought back, then chuckled a little. "You teased me," she smiled. "Asked me to marry you."

"What would you say if I said…I _wasn't_ teasing?" Shepard ventured.

Liara's wide blue eyes blinked once as she stared at the human woman. Del waited patiently, and after a moment Liara arched an eyebrow, then tilted her head. "I would remind you of what I told you in response."

Shepard grinned. "You do realize that what you said was, 'I am not even sure I like you yet', right?"

"I am aware," Liara replied coyly.

"So, your answer is _no_ then," Shepard asked, dipping in for a kiss. Liara let it linger only a moment, drawing the human woman even closer before she breathlessly responded.

"_Absolutely_. No. No. A _thousand_ times no…" she punctuated each 'no' with a brief kiss.

"Good, that's _good_ then," Shepard laughed, then kissed her properly. Liara planted her hands on Del's shoulders, walking her back until her calves struck the edge of the mattress, and the pair tumbled down.

"_Good_, hmm?" Liara asked, looking down at the captain.

"Of course," Del shot that lopsided grin, all the weariness and stress and tension seeming to melt away. It was as if the last few years had not happened and they were back on the first _Normandy_ after Saren's defeat, before the Collectors had torn them apart. "Who wants to be tied down to an old ball and chain-"

Liara made an indignant sound and pinched Del sharply over the ribs. The human woman barked a laugh and grabbed her, flipping them over and holding her down. "I was referring to _myself_ as the ball and chain, Tianlán, not you."

"I know. That is why I pinched you," Liara smiled. "I accept no insult to you, remember? Not even from your own mouth."

Shepard's smile softened, and she leaned down, kissing the asari as if she were made of the finest glass…glass that would shatter under any sort of pressure.

"_Marry me, Tianlán_," she whispered seriously.

"Of course," Liara answered, just as softly. "Forever…_yes_."


	25. Chapter 25

Colonel Louisa Vinberg was a small woman, but seemed made of pure stone. From the bristles of her closely cropped hair to the tread on her boots, she carried herself like a tiny tempest, her booming and unyielding voice as she barked orders seemingly out of place with her little frame.

When Anderson had first spotted her, he had actually thought she was a child dressed in an Alliance uniform. She couldn't stand an inch over five feet, but her command presence more than made up for any diminutiveness. She was efficient, she was direct, and she was born leader.

Anderson liked her immediately.

They had arrived over the mountains and rendezvoused with her battalion only the previous day. The battalion, over eleven hundred men strong, had stationed themselves at a ranch in a wide valley surrounded by foothills that slowly marched toward the Cascades. They had wide visibility as well as a defensive position, though the reported Reaper presence in Eastern Washington was still mostly limited to Spokane.

Not that they were unchallenged or unthreatened, of course. Husks and those batarian abominations that had been widely dubbed as 'cannibals' seemed to patrol wide areas in random waves, though so far none had come close enough or appeared in any number great enough to be a real threat.

The battalion's biggest blessing was its supplies. The two heavy mobile command centers both had QEC stations and could use extranet buoys as piggy-backs for encrypted communications. For the first time since the Reaper attack, Anderson had access to a solid means to talk to and coordinate with the rest of the planet. More, they could finally access newsfeeds and get a first-hand look at what was going on in the rest of the galaxy.

He stepped into one of those command centers now- a slow moving but enormous, low-slung and tread-driven leviathan that was both a portable HQ and an infantry tank of devastating power-with Vinberg at his side. Within, a dozen men and women, some of them civvies, were clustered around the projection pad.

He spotted Tepper, the landscaper who had become sort of the ad hoc civilian leader, lingering near the back of the cluster. Seeing him at the same time, Tepper headed over, giving Vinberg a polite nod.

"We've got a tap in to TNN," he told them. "They're about to show an interview with Captain Shepard."

Clapping him on the shoulder, Anderson moved to the crowd, several of them parting to allow him and Vinberg a closer view.

The rotating holograph was the TNN logo, a voice-over declaring, _"ANN reporter Diana Allers was allowed aboard the __**Normandy **__SR2 as a war correspondent and has an exclusive interview with Captain Delilah Shepard herself. As ANN's report feeds are still spotty, TNN as well as several non-native news affiliates around the galaxy will be broadcasting this interview all over inhabited space. Unfortunately due to logistics this interview is not live. We take you now to Allers and Captain Shepard."_

The logo vanished, replaced by the hologram of Diana Allers standing alone. "_This is Diana Allers, officially of the Alliance News Network but reporting now to all stations and affiliations from aboard the Alliance frigate __**Normandy**__ SR2._ _With me is Captain Delilah Shepard, a woman who truly needs no introduction, and who has been so gracious as to take the time to address the many growing concerns of the human and galactic communities as a whole. Captain Shepard, thank you so much for joining us."_

Shepard appeared on feed and immediately nearly everyone in the command center cheered and clapped and hooted. Anderson couldn't help the small smile at the response. He wished Shepard could actually hear it.

"_You're welcome, Ms. Allers,"_ Shepard replied, and the room went deadly silent, all eyes and ears fixed.

"_Captain, let me start by asking you a question that has hit the extranet time and time again and seems to be on everyone's mind. You have been declaring for years now that humanity and the galaxy at large are at risk of attack by an overwhelming force called the Reapers, sentient machines that repeat a cycle of wiping out all advanced organic life in the galaxy. This invading force that has struck with overwhelming devastation on both Earth and Palaven…are they in fact these Reapers?"_

"_They are,"_ Shepard answered firmly. _"Unfortunately Earth and Palaven are just the beginning. It will take centuries but left unchecked these machines will eventually scour the entire galaxy."_

"_If that is true, then it seems hard to imagine there is any hope for our races. If this cycle has repeated countless times, what stands in the way of them succeeding this time?"_

"_It's a fact, the Reapers have done this before, probably more times than any organic can fathom,"_ Shepard admitted. _"I could never name or number the amount of species that have fallen before them, over what is potentially trillions of years, but I __**do**__ know one thing. They have never gone head to head with __**us.**__"_

A wave of cheers and 'oorah!'s rang through the room, fists shooting up into the air and men clapping each other on the back.

"_By us, you mean humanity?"_ Allers asked.

"_By us I mean __**everyone**__,"_ Shepard clarified. "_Humanity, asari, salarians, krogan, turian, volus, hanar…the list goes on. We are a greater galactic community, each race with its own unconquerable strengths. If we stand together and face this threat head-on, in cooperation, then we __**will**__ win."_

"_You sound very convinced of that."_

"_I __**am**__ convinced of that," _Shepard told her. _"Over the years, I have worked with a wide variety of representatives from a wide variety of races._ _Extremely intelligent and talented individuals, with their own astonishing skills. Without them, the attack at the Citadel would never have been thwarted, and the initial Reaper invasion three years ago would never have been halted._ _I think if nothing else, our own history has shown us that exclusionistic or segregationist attitudes and behavior lead only to violence, pain, and hatred. No one, no race, is better or lesser than anyone else, and we all have a right to defend ourselves."_

"_What is it you are trying to do right now?"_

"_I have been working with the heads of government of several galactic races in organizing a summit, with the goal of mutual aide and cooperation to address the Reaper threat. By uniting our fighting forces, our resources and scientists, we hope to turn the tide at Palaven and Earth and eliminate the Reaper threat before it can spread. I have high hopes that allegiances and treaties will be arranged within the next day or two that will prove the catalyst to driving the enemy threat away from our borders if not destroying them altogether. We will show the Reapers that this cycle is not weak, that we will fight to the last of us…and we __**will**__ win."_

Another round of cheers and hoots of approval filled the air. Beside him, Anderson heard Vinberg bellow out her own _oorah_, casting a salute toward the holographic image.

"_Captain Shepard…a great number of people are extremely upset that you have departed Earth. They consider it abandonment, and wonder why a soldier of your capabilities would leave a home world experiencing a devastating attack instead of remaining to fight."_

Shepard looked troubled a moment, her jaw tightening a little. _"I understand their feelings,"_ she murmured. _"My first choice was not to leave. Everything in me wanted to remain and to fight for my home, for my people. This war, however, cannot be won with mere bullets. Without the backing from the rest of the galaxy, we would remain at a tremendous disadvantage. As a Council Spectre and as someone who has had dealings with top representatives of numerous races I am in a unique position to rally their forces. It was an extremely hard decision to make but a necessary one. Hopefully with the efforts of the good men and women aboard the __**Normandy,**__ and those around the galaxy working just as hard to gain the edge we need, we will put a stop to what is happening at Earth, rather than just holding it at bay for a short while longer."_

"_Captain, one final question. If you could speak to those on Earth, both our fighting forces and regular civilians living in fear and uncertainty, what would you say?"_

Shepard turned her head, in truth looking at Allers' hover-cam but seeming to look right at the gathered crowd huddled in the command center. _"I would tell them to keep fighting, to not give up and never lose hope. I would tell them to hang in there, because they are __**not**__ forgotten. They __**will not be**__ forgotten."_

She saluted, and more than one person in the room- even civilians- saluted back.

"_We'll be coming home for you,"_ she promised. _"And the Reapers had better __**run**__."_

Allers thanked Shepard and gave some parting words, but they were lost in the shouting and cheering that once more echoed through the room.

* * *

The _Normandy_'s conference room had probably never been so crowded, and for a short time Shepard was actually worried there would not be room. The stickiest moment had been when the elcor delegate, Count Beduuk Asmir, had come on board.

Fortunately, the doors on the _Normandy_ proved just large enough to allow the massive male elcor entrance, and while his head was only a few inches shy of the ceiling, he was able to stand comfortably at the far end of the table.

Shepard, at the near end, felt a mix of both disappointment and hope as she looked over those gathered. Drell, turian, volus, elcor, salarian, krogan, and herself representing humanity. The fact that Wrex was standing in the same room with the Primarch and the Dalatrass was in itself a huge victory, but she couldn't help but notice also the glaring absences.

No hanar. No asari. No batarian. The quarians and the geth had been pinged the same as the rachni, and had offered the same troubling answer- complete silence. No response came from the Migrant Fleet or the Perseus Veil, not even to decline.

It was the quiet of the quarians that worried her the most. They had recalled their young Pilgrims, they had been questioned about odd weapons and shield technology, and then they had vanished off the face of the galactic map. No one seemed to know what was going on or where they were, and while Shepard cared little for an Admiralty Board who had tried to banish Tali for flimsy political reasons that had nothing to do with her- it remained that Tali _was_ on that Fleet. The girl that Shepard looked on as a part of her family was as ominously silent as the others.

"Earth and Palaven both are under devastating attack," Shepard was saying, her eyes fixed to those of Wrex. "Thousands, if not _millions_, are dying by the day."

"Earth, I'll help," he responded. "I have no reason to help the turians _or_ the salarians. The last time my people helped them, they slapped us with the genophage."

"Your people were growing out of control," Linron, the salarian Dalatrass, huffed. "If you hadn't been checked you'd have overrun the entire galaxy in a matter of years."

"_Checked_? What you did was tantamount to genocide," Wrex growled. "Now you're begging for our help _again_? Ha! That'll be the day. Shepard, I'll send troops to Earth but _forget_ Palaven. As far as I'm concerned they can burn."

"Wrex, ground troops on Earth will help but they won't stop the invasion. We _need_ the turian fleets," Shepard told him. "The turians are willing to work with you, to take any steps you wish to secure a peace and your aid. You fought alongside Garrus, Wrex. I know you consider him a friend. He wouldn't let _Tuchanka_ burn. We need to work this out."

"Shepard is right," Victus said. "Wrex, believe me, the ball is in your court…as the humans say. Whatever you need just ask it."

"Just ask, huh?" he snorted. "There's only one thing you can give me that will change my mind, turian."

"Name it."

"A cure for the genophage."

"_Absolutely not_!" Linron declared. "We would defeat the Reapers only to have an army of unstoppable krogan tearing down our doors-"

"No cure, no krogan," Wrex glared at her. "I doubt your soft little people are going to be able to stop the Reapers when they _get_ to your door, _salarian_."

"Wrex, if I could give you the cure right now I would," Victus told him. "However it would take years to develop one and we don't have that kind of time-"

"Not according to my information," he replied. "A salarian doctor worked with Clan Weyrloc and several sterile females to develop a cure. I have a contact in STG that informs me that some of those females were rescued and taken to a facility on Sur'Kesh, and that they are in fact fertile."

There were exclamations all around the table at that, and several sharp eyes turned toward Linron.

"Is this true, Dalatrass?" the volus delegate, a female named Vihn Tross, demanded. "You are holding fertile female krogan prisoner on Sur'Kesh?"

"Disapprovingly: Such an act could be considered a violation of several Council treaties," Count Asmir added.

"We are holding _no one_ prisoner," the Dalatrass protested hotly. "I don't know where you get your supposed information from, krogan, but-"

"It's an _extremely_ reliable source," he growled. "_Trust me_."

"Dalatrass, if this is true, you need to tell us. _Now_," Victus said sternly. Linron straightened, glancing at the eyes glaring firmly at her, then cleared her throat with irritation.

"They aren't prisoners," she said at last. "They were found by an STG team in the Tuchankan desert, nearly starved and extremely ill. They were taken to the facility to save their lives."

"They should have been returned to our people," Wrex accused.

"We saved their _lives_, krogan! You point me to a single krogan doctor worth even a _tenth_ of a salarian one!"

"That's enough," Shepard scowled. "If it's true that these were formerly sterile females who were cured of the genophage, is it possible that a cure could be reverse engineered from that?"

She directed her question to the drell delegate, who happened to be a biochemist with more than one doctorate. The drell thoughtfully touched her lips, then nodded.

"It could theoretically be possible, however even with tissue samples it could also still take years to do so-"

"Again, my contact seems to think differently," Wrex grumped. "You want krogan aide for Palaven? We get a cure for the genophage. A cure for each and _every_ krogan. And we start by getting those females back."

"I will _not_ allow this," Linron retorted.

"Where are the females being held, Dalatrass?" Shepard asked. The salarian's fury turned to her.

"I _**will not**_ allow this!"

Shepard looked back at her evenly, then at the other delegates. "The rest of you?"

"I do not have STG contacts but I do have several colleagues among the top salarian scientists off of Sur'Kesh," the drell stated. "I am confident that if I asked, they would be more than willing to track down their comrades at this facility."

"Smugly: STG Captain Falkis and Spectre Jondum Bau both owe me favors. Confidently: I am sure I would be able to have the exact location of the facility on Sur'Kesh within the solar day."

"Dalatrass, I suggest for the sake of your people, you _cooperate_," Vihn Tross stated.

"Is that so?" Linron asked furiously.

"It is, unless you want the collective Volus Merchant's Guild and Banker Cooperative to refuse to do any further business with your _entire_ family House," she replied. "As far as I'm concerned, your people may have rescued these females but if you refuse to return them to their people, you _are_ in fact holding them prisoner."

"I cannot _believe_ you are standing with the krogan!"

"I am standing with _Captain Shepard_ and her _allies_," Tross retorted. "I am standing with the galactic treaties and with simple, common _decency_! My people may not be the largest, the strongest, or the most militant. We may be a galactic joke to most other species out there, but Captain Shepard has more than once proven herself a friend to the Vol-clan and an advocate for my people…and we _do_ understand compassion and natural order. If the Tuchanka-clan are strong enough to destroy our people, then shame on our people. The failing stands with _us_. The same if the Reapers manage to conquer us…it will not be because of their power but because of _our_ weakness. Unlike you, I refuse to be weak, and I refuse to fear."

Shepard lifted her brows, startled and more than a little impressed. The same expression was on the other faces around the table…all save the Dalatrass, who only looked horrified.

"I think the situation stands pretty clear," she said, looking at Linron. "Either you provide us with the location of the facility on Sur'Kesh, or we discover it for ourselves. Regardless, we _are_ getting those females and returning them to the krogan."

"I agree," Victus nodded, his sentiment echoed around the table. Linron looked sick.

"Fine. I will provide the location," she said at last. "The females may be returned to the krogan, but I warn you all. You _will_ regret this to your dying breaths. When this galaxy is overrun by mindless, violent, death-dealing brutes and the rest of our people face obliteration it will be on _your_ heads."

"Our people are _already_ facing obliteration," Shepard reminded her. "Building bridges and not burning them seems a wiser course to me, Dalatrass."

"Bullies get nowhere in this life, Captain. You'd do well to remember that when you look around and wonder where all your allies went."

"Noted," Shepard said dryly. "Vikayl, can we count on drell support?"

"Yes. Our efforts will be limited but we will do all we can to convince the hanar to join the cause," she replied. "In the mean time any resources we have are at your disposal."

Shepard inclined her head in thanks, looking toward the elcor. "Count Asmir?"

"Declarative: So long as we can count on the support of the rest of you should the threat come to Dekuuna, then we will stand with you."

"I appreciate that, Count. Hopefully we can stop the Reapers before they get that far but if they do, you will have our unquestioning aide. Vihn Tross, need I ask?"

"Hardly," the female volus chuckled. "The Vol-clan are with you, Captain. Fighters, bombardment corps, supplies, finances…anything we can offer. We stand with the Earth-clan."

"You honor us," Shepard smiled. "Wrex, we'll secure the females and do everything in our power to get that cure."

"Do _that_ and you've got yourself the krogan, on Palaven as well as on Earth. I swear that to my dying breath."

"If that's done, and the pressure is off Palaven, the Turian fleets will head immediately for Earth, I swear _that_," Victus echoed.

"Good. Let's get moving then. Dalatrass if you'd be so kind as to provide the facility coordinates the _Normandy_ will head there immediately. The rest of you, Alliance officials will swiftly be in contact with you to coordinate resources and to provide some intel on something that may help us win this war. If any of you need anything of _me_ do not hesitate to ask. I am at your service, and I am thankful to each and every one of you for your help and wisdom in this matter."

Linron glared coldly, the first to abandon the table and head out of the room. The others dispersed more casually, the delegates stopping to thank Shepard or ask her a few questions before departing to head back to their respective ships.

Only Wrex and the Primarch stayed behind, the battered old krogan smirking at his old friend. "I knew I could count on you, Shepard. I meant it. Even without a genophage cure, I will send krogan to Earth and we will fight for you. I know you'd do the same for us."

"Damn right I would," she replied.

"Wrex, I know our people don't get along," Victus told him. "It's good to see a krogan that's willing to work past that and fight for a greater cause."

"Hmm," Wrex grumped reluctantly. "Nice to see a turian not acting like a smug superior bastard. I'm not getting my hopes up too high, though. What your people did to mine isn't going to be easily forgotten, not even by me. You prove you're willing to go all the way to cure the genophage, that'll start changing some minds, but it's not going to be easy."

"Course it won't be," Shepard agreed, then smiled. "Wouldn't be fun if it were _easy_."

* * *

A smile spread over Sydney's face as she ducked her ear in close over Navis's stomach. Of course, this early in the game it was impossible to hear or feel anything in this manner, yet she did it all the same. Her amber eyes were fixed on the small monitor Dr. Solus had set up, the projection of the tiny little embryo slowly rotating in a rainbow of colors.

Smiling herself in affectionate amusement, Deeds had a hand wound in Syd's golden hair, looking at the image as well.

"She is healthy?" she asked.

"Very healthy," Mordin declared. "Cellular division progressing at optimal rate, all genetic sampling showing no sign of any abnormality."

The embryo didn't look yet like anything recognizably asari, or even bipedal. A complicated orb of clustered cells, it had no heartbeat yet, no familiar features. Only a week from conception, it would take several more weeks before these were in evidence.

To Sydney, that little colorful orb was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Thought of names?" Mordin asked. Deirdre chuckled a little.

"No, not yet, we-"

"Daenys," Sydney declared matter-of-factly. Deeds blinked, laughing in surprise.

"Is that so?"

"Well, I mean…only if you like it," Sydney said, lifting her head and looking at the prone asari.

"It is my mother's name," Navis told her. "Of course I like it."

"Your mother was a nice woman," Sydney said. "And I love the name so…why not?"

"Daenys…" Deirdre tried softly, then nodded. "Yes. That is it. Mother would have liked that. Our little Daenys…"

Sydney grinned at her, then leaned up and planted a light kiss on her lips. A breath later, a sharp buzz suddenly filled the air, and she looked up with a frown. "What's that?"

"Perimeter alarm," Mordin said hastily, and then switched off equipment. "Will have to return you to your cell, find out what is going on."

Concerned, Syd and Deirdre headed back to the cell with Sydney's two guards as Mordin vanished to find out what was causing the commotion.

"It cannot be a raid, can it?" Deeds asked nervously. "This facility is one of the best guarded I have ever seen-"

"Then if it _is_ a raid the salarians will turn it back," Sydney comforted. She felt incredibly helpless. They were trapped in what more or less equaled a big glass box, neither of them armed. Deirdre had her biotics of course but beyond that…

Time seemed to crawl by. The alarms abruptly halted, the silence almost more disconcerting. Then Deirdre's omni-tool lit up. She accessed it and Mordin's voice came over.

_{Nothing to fear,}_ he reassured. _{Misunderstanding. Captain Shepard is on premises…}_

"Del's here?" Syd blinked, even as Deirdre sighed in relief.

"Good to know, Mordin. Thank you."

_{Will like to see you, no doubt. Will keep you updated.}_

As she switched off the omni-tool she caught the look on Sydney's face. "Don't," she said gently, sitting next to her. "Shepard does not blame you for the Collector station, you know that."

"I know, but…_I_ blame me. How can I face her again, Deeds? Knowing I almost killed her? I mean, I still can't trust myself, even now. What if I-?"

"You _won't_. You can face her as a friend, as someone she cares about," Deirdre told her, twining her fingers through her love's. "With me right here next to you, all right? She won't be angry with you, and you won't do anything to threaten or hurt her. Have trust in yourself, Syd."

"That's the problem. I _can't_ trust myself."Lowering her head a little, the former marine finally nodded. "All right," she murmured, unconvinced, but trying. "I mean, I _am_ locked in a _box_, right? What's the worst that could happen?"


	26. Chapter 26

Shepard shouldn't have been surprised. If she had stopped to think about it for longer than a moment, it should have been obvious who Wrex's inside contact was. Lately, however, it seemed she didn't even have time to breathe, let alone _think_…so when she stepped off the elevator and saw Dr. Solus standing there, she blinked.

"Mordin?"

"Good to see you again, Shepard. Landing caused quite a stir. See you still haven't lost your touch."

"Hardly," she smirked, taking his hand with a grin. "You know how much I love to make an entrance."

"Mordin, it is good to see you again," Liara greeted with a soft smile. The salarian beamed at her.

"Feeling is mutual, Dr. T'Soni."

Then something occurred to Shepard and she stiffened a little. "Wait…Mordin, if you're _here_, does that mean-"

"Yes. Rasler and Navis also here," he told her. "Doing well. Can take you to see them if you like?"

"I would like that very much," Shepard replied. "But right now, our priority is getting the krogan females onto the _Normandy_."

"Female," Mordin corrected sadly. "Only one left. Others…did not survive."

"I am sorry to hear that, Mordin," Liara comforted gently. "I am sure you did all you could."

"Course he did," Shepard agreed. "This does complicate things, however. Is she healthy enough to travel?"

"Yes, seems stable," Mordin nodded, gesturing at them to follow him. "Maelon's experiments cured genophage, but left immune instability. Other females became ill, could not fight infection. Health is delicate but she seems to be holding. Believe I can correct for immune instability, can synthesize cure from her tissue. Living tissue necessary. She dies…cure _problematic_."

"Then we make sure nothing happens to her," Shepard said firmly.

Mordin brought them through into a large lab. One of the walls seemed made of solid glass, and within a krogan was watching them closely.

"This is Eve," Mordin introduced, indicating the krogan. "Not real name, of course. Will not disclose, had to call her something. Eve seemed apropos."

Shepard moved over, curious…and for a moment the two regarded each other in silence.

"You are Del Shepard," the krogan said at last.

"Mordin's told you about me?" Shepard asked, making the most logical conclusion.

"No," the krogan replied. "Sydney has."

"You talk to Sydney?"

"Quite often. We are both isolated. Dr. Solus was kind enough to allow us to communicate."

"Well, we're getting you out of here," Shepard told her. "We're taking you back to Tuchanka, where you belong."

"I am more than ready to go."

"Shepard, will have to accompany Eve," Mordin told her. "My patient, am only one who I trust to synthesize cure."

"That's fine with me," Shepard said, looking at him. "I wouldn't mind having you aboard again."

"Thank you, means a lot, but overlooking other problem," he said. "Sydney my patient too. Cannot abandon her."

"You want to take Sydney and Deirdre aboard as well?" Liara asked as Shepard stiffened.

"Yes. Can keep containment unit in cargo hold. Continue treatment there. We-"

He broke off, blinking in surprise as the alarms started to wail again. Shepard's hand automatically dropped to her pistol as the salarian hurried to a console.

"Perimeter alert. Several ships incoming," he reported, then his eyes narrowed. "Cerberus."

"_Fuck_. Just what we _didn't_ need," Shepard glared. "What the hell does Cerberus want here?"

"Must want Eve…halt or pervert cure for krogan," he said. "Only logical conclusion. Need to get her out of here, Shepard. Can transport her module directly to landing pad. Will accompany her through quarantine procedures."

"What about Sydney?"

"Her module not under quarantine restriction, can be opened with security key. Will override from here, go with Eve through checkpoints. You will have to get Sydney and escort her with you. Must hurry, ships closing in. Take elevator over there. Down one floor, first room on right."

"I'm not letting you go through the checkpoints alone," Shepard told him. "Vega, you're with Mordin. Accompany the pod. Guard him and Eve with your life."

"Copy that."

"Liara, we'll go and get Syd and Deeds and get up to the pad."

The pair headed for the elevator as Mordin started the sequence to transport the pod. As the lift lowered from the upper levels, Shepard looked back at the pod containing the female krogan. She was not only the hope of _her_ entire race, but countless others. Without her, Palaven and Earth would fall. Wrex might send his troops to Earth but it would only delay the inevitable, not halt it. Once the turians and humans were wiped out, the other races would be inevitably and inexorably picked off, one at a time.

Without Eve, they lost this war.

The lift doors parted and she turned back, taking a single step forward before her eyes landed on an object lying just within. Reflex rocked her before conscious thought could intervene. Pivoting she tackled Liara around the waist and threw her toward the floor.

The heated wave of pressure as the bomb exploded caught them before they could hit the ground, sending the pair tumbling and skidding wildly as flaming chunks of debris pelted around them. Ears ringing, Shepard gasped air back into her lungs, feeling a pair of hands grab her.

"You ok, Lola?" Vega asked, alarmed.

"I'm fine! _Liara?_"

"I am fine, Shepard," the asari coughed. Getting to her feet, Shepard helped Liara up, then shoved Vega's shoulder.

"Go! Keep Eve safe! Mordin, there another way down?"

"Yes, stairs through that direction," he urged. "Hurry Shepard. Cerberus clearly already have infiltrated."

"You think?" she scowled, hauling out her rifle. "Get moving!"

She and Liara rushed for the stairway, already hearing gunfire rattling from the upper floors and what sounded like heavy blasts. Cerberus had come more than prepared, it seemed.

Dust filtered down the stairway as they ran, taking turns clearing each corner as they made their way. Locating the proper door they ran in, only to be confronted by an asari shimmering with determined blue.

Deirdre blinked, then lowered her arms, her biotics dying as she realized who they were. "Oh, thank the Goddess! We heard the alarms and the gunfire-"

"Cerberus is invading the facility," Shepard told her. "We're getting you two out of here."

"Del, _no_, you can't let me out of here," Sydney protested, even as the woman went to the lock controls to open the cell. "Take Deeds and get her to the _Normandy_-"

"I am _not_ leaving you," Deirdre said firmly.

"You can't _trust_ me. _I_ can't even trust me. If you let me out there's no telling _what_ I'll do!"

"I'm more than willing to take that risk," Shepard said as the cell door popped open. "Liara and Navis aren't biotically exhausted this time. First wrong move and they'll snag you and hold you immovable, ok? However the 'coming with us' thing isn't an option, I don't care if I have to knock your ass out and fucking _drag_ you."

Sydney still looked unsure, hesitating over the threshold of the cell door a moment before she reluctantly stepped out. Del nodded, clapping her on the shoulder. "Come on. We have to hurry. Mordin and Vega are escorting Eve up to the landing pad but Cerberus is fucking _everywhere_."

"You're here for Eve?"

"Yeah, long story. Mordin told me you two have been talking. You'll have to tell me all about it when we get back to the ship," Shepard said. "Let's move. If we don't save that krogan, we're _all_ fucked."

* * *

To say Cerberus was determined was the understatement of the century. By the time the four got only a single floor up, Shepard had lost count of how many troopers they'd downed, and she was seriously starting to worry about thermal clips. The STG troops were holding their own, but sheer numbers were turning the tide, and more and more salarians were falling.

Cerberus wasn't the only threat, nor had Sydney and Eve been the only occupants of the facility. Several other specimens had been held here as well. Most were varren or other large, predatory animals and several had escaped or been released from their pens. While they fell easily enough…and were just as likely to attack the Cerberus troops as they were Shepard's squad, they were a decided irritation.

Then a door at the end of one particular hall suddenly burst open, and it was a yahg that roared through, wiping out two Cerberus as it did so. Liara gasped when she saw it, Shepard all but hauling her against the wall, trying to stay out of the beast's sights.

Unable to help herself, Shepard watched as the thing pitched an armored man like a rag-doll and went raging off in the other direction. "There goes the next Shadow Broker."

"That is _not_ funny," Liara seethed. Shepard gave her a lopsided grin.

"What? I could have sworn it was growling 'T'Soni' the whole way-"

Liara's look was scathing, and Del gave her a wink. "Promise not to shoot me in the back?"

"I promise nothing," Liara retorted.

Shepard took the risk and headed out ahead of her anyway, rifle up and ready. They crossed the corridor without incident and out onto one of the many wide-open verandas that linked different sections of each floor. Instantly she saw a crowd of Cerberus heading their way.

The grenade she lobbed skipped like a stone over a pond, tumbling into the midst of the heavily armored troops. Less agile in their bulky suits they only started to lumber out of the way when it ignited, throwing the group to the ground. Shepard opened fire as she advanced, Liara's shield descending down in front of her. She made sure four of them wouldn't move again before her rifle suddenly ratcheted, its thermal overheated.

Shipping it she yanked out her pistol, planting head-shots in two more. One managed to make it back to his feet, a brief eruption of fire from his weapon flaring off the barrier before Deirdre cast him over the veranda's railing.

Sydney wished, not for the first time, that she had at least _some_ kind of weapon. Wearing only cloth civvies she had no armor, no arms, and no shields save Deeds' biotics. Deirdre as well was not suited up for this kind of combat, which only made the blonde human worry more. Her biotics were formidable but one wrong bullet and Syd could lose not only Navis, but their unborn daughter.

She understood why Shepard hadn't given her a weapon, however…and knew it was best that she not pick one up. There was no telling when her indoctrination might kick in, and she could end up shooting Shepard in the back. Or Liara.

Or Deirdre.

She'd rather die before she risked that happening.

"_Shepard, we are stuck on second floor!"_ Mordin's voice suddenly burst over Del's omni-tool as the captain relieved a few of the dead troops of their no-longer-needed thermal clips. _"Cerberus managed to jam quarantine transport, are trying to cut their way in. Vega fighting but pinned!"_

"Hang on Mordin, we're nearly there!" Shepard told him. "_Double-time, people_!"

"_Shepard, I have the shuttle near the top landing pad but it's too hot to land,"_ Wrex added as they hit the stairs. _"I'm taking out the ones I can but more troops are landing on the second floor."_

"Understood!"

Shepard burst out of the stairwell firing, immediately charging for cover even as she aimed a barrage toward the cluster of men at the far side of the room. Return fire was instant, dirt and leaves from the heavy, decorative planter she dove behind spraying up into the air.

A quick glance showed that Syd and Deirdre had taken refuge behind a similar planter, the asari keeping a barrier up. Liara was crouched near Shepard, her pistol in hand. As the gunfire slacked slightly, she popped up and dropped two of them.

_That's my girl_, Shepard thought with a grin, drawing her sniper.

As she fit her eye to the scope, she could feel a strange sort of calm settle in her bones and muscles. The noise of the firefight seemed to die away, her heartbeat to slow. The crosshairs landed on a helmet and _pop_…the trooper fell, face-plate shattered.

_Pop. Pop_. Two more tumbled to the ground. A heavy metal shield suddenly appeared as one of the troopers tried to edge toward them, protected behind layers of folded, reinforced and kinetically strengthened steel. Shepard's grin only sharpened as her cross-hairs focused on the small slit in the shield that allowed him to see.

_Pop._

As he dropped, she abandoned cover and pressed forward, her sights swinging to the two men still trying to hack into the containment pod. Bullets flashed her way from another pair hurrying in from the door, only to be deflected by Liara's shield, her biotic backhand sweeping them hard into the wall. As she finished the job, Shepard reached the control console, swiping a hand over it to clear the brain and bone before activating the HI.

"You two ok?" she asked, her eyes shifting momentarily up toward Mordin and Eve as she tried to unjam the pod.

"Unhurt. Cannot speak for krogan," Mordin replied.

"I am fine," Eve stated.

Vega trotted up, out of breath. "Good timing," he said. "Got myself jammed in a corner, couldn't break out. Stupid thing to do."

"There were a fuck of a lot of them, Vega. I'm just glad you didn't get yourself dead."

"Shepard, it puzzles me why you do this," Eve noted. "You do not know me."

"No, but I'd like to," Del replied as Sydney and Deirdre hurried up.

"Eve! Is she hurt?" the blonde asked.

"I'm fine, Syd," the krogan repeated. "Are _you_ well?"

"I'm just dandy, don't you worry about me," she told her.

"There, I think I've got it working," Shepard declared as the board flashed green. "Sending you two the rest of the way up. We'll clear the landing pad so Wrex can put down, just hold tight a bit longer."

"Good luck, Shepard," Mordin nodded as the module once more began to move.

The four on the ground headed up one more time, emerging on the roof-top landing pad to see Wrex and Steve had taken out most of the foot-troops there with the guns on the shuttle. Setting their sights on those remaining, they plowed through them only to hear Wrex suddenly bellow out a warning.

"_Shepard! You have incoming!"_

A huge form dropped from the sky, slamming with force into the pad. The ground bucked under their feet, sending them stumbling a moment even as the form straightened.

It was an Atlas, one of those huge mechanized suits that had the firepower and armor of a goddamn tank. It oriented on them just as the quarantine pod emerged from below and slid into place, and the whirring boom of its guns split the air.

The four scattered, bullets and chunks of concrete eating up a path between them. Shepard rolled hard, her sniper skidding away. Ignoring it she drew her rifle, surging back to her feet and rushing forward. The Atlas paced to the side as the pilot spotted motion, its torso rotating toward her. She threw herself toward the ground, diving wildly as the ground chewed up where she'd been standing.

The mech suddenly stumbled, its massive metal legs stuttering a moment as biotics hit the canopy, trying to tip it or crack the glass to expose the pilot. It didn't fall but it did turn, and Shepard ran forward once again.

The shuttle swung in, its mini-gun blazing to life. The barriers surrounding the Atlas rippled like waves in a pond. Gritting her teeth, Shepard dropped down into a skid, sliding in under the metal beast, slamming into one of its wide feet.

Hydraulics. The thing moved by hydraulics. If she could just locate the feed…

Gripping hold of the leg she aimed her rifle at the under joint, but her weapons fire was far too brief. Barely had her shot begun to tear into the metal than the thing suddenly shifted, tilting toward one side as the shuttle managed to penetrate the barriers and break the canopy, wounding but not incapacitating the pilot. In shock he over-compensated, the big suit swung off balance.

In imminent danger of being crushed beneath its five ton weight, Shepard ran frantically to one side, only to be hit by one of the huge arms as the suit swung around, the pilot trying to prevent its fall. Pain cracked over her back and she was airborn, sailing up a good ten feet above the landing pad.

She landed in a cushion of biotics, the shimmering energy lighting static and sending all of her fine hairs standing on end even as it gently lowered her down. As she staggered up, her rifle swinging toward the suit again, another roaring boom of gunfire split the air.

The Atlas had fallen but it wasn't all the way down. Half-propped on one arm, the other was still in fighting shape, the roiling gun swinging not toward the others, but toward the quarantine pod where Mordin and Eve were helpless. Vega fired back, holding his ground, but was forced to dive prone as well when the machine fire whipped just over his head.

The barriers of the pod began to ripple and flare dangerously as they were struck. Under that barrage they'd only last a second, maybe two, before they'd give out. The instant that happened the two within would be torn apart. From this angle, even if Shepard fired she would never be able to hit the pilot as the cockpit was facing away from her.

She started to run forward at the same time Sydney did, the blonde's hand snatching past Liara's belt as she went, tearing a grenade from its slot.

She activated it in the same motion, pitching it with fury toward the open cockpit. As it struck the pilot in the chest he panicked, hauling on the control unconsciously as he reached toward the grenade.

The firing arm swung away from the pod, opening useless pits in the ground a breath before the pilot and cockpit dissolved in a bark of flame. The arm dropped, whirring a moment before falling still.

Shepard rounded it as Deirdre helped Sydney up. "Jesus, _Sydney_…I thought _I_ was supposed to be the bad ass," she smirked as she caught sight of the smoldering mess that used to be the pilot.

"So did I," she grinned tiredly. "Seems you're slacking in that department, _Delilah_."

"Yeah, fuck you too," Del snorted, before turning around. The shuttle was lowering, Mordin and Vega helping Eve out of the quarantine pod. She started that way, shipping her weapon. "You three ok?"

"Rattled, but unhurt," Solus reassured.

"Good. Eve, it's wonderful to meet you. Let's get you on the shuttle, shall we?"

* * *

Deidre felt Sydney take her hand as Liara headed over toward Shepard, the Atlas still sending wisps of smoke into the blue sky. Wrex had jumped out of the shuttle and was also heading toward the small group by the quarantine pod.

Turning her head, Deirdre smiled at the human woman. "That was quite a pitch, love," she teased gently, referring to the grenade.

"Yeah, I could have been on the L.A. Rang-" Sydney started to smile as she shifted her eyes to the asari…and then behind her.

Startled, Deirdre was off her feet before she realized what was going on, Sydney tackling her to the ground. Air abandoned her as she hit the ground before fire suddenly ignited in her arm. The heavy snap of bullets seemed to come an eon later, thunder that sounded far too close.

There were shouts, then more gunfire. Air returned reluctantly and she managed to turn her head to see the Cerberus soldier collapse to the ground, his chest-plate nothing but a ragged hole. He must have been wounded on one of the lower floors, managed to follow them up here, take them by surprise. If Sydney hadn't spotted him and thrown her down…

"Syd?" she heard herself gasp. The human woman was laying over her, and she could hear a strange sound echoing in her ear. Something warm was spilling over her neck. She shifted, trying to extricate herself as boots charged up.

The weight was shifted off of Deirdre's back and Liara was suddenly at her side, grasping hold of her. "Do not move!"

"I'm all right," she coughed, though her arm was throbbing. She reached for it and Liara shifted her hand away, clamping her fingers on the pressure point to halt the bleeding. She tried to sit up again and again the other asari halted her.

"Deeds, be _still_," Liara urged.

"I am _fine_!" she repeated in irritation. "Is Syd ok?"

"Mordin! Fuck, _Mordin_! Vega, fucking _help me_!" Shepard barked from behind Liara. From her vantage, Deirdre could only see the curve of the marine's back as the two men ran up.

"Need to get her aboard the _Normandy_, _**now**_," Mordin urged, and at his words Deirdre grabbed Liara's shoulder, ignoring the throb in her arm as she forcibly hauled herself into a sit, deflecting the other woman's repeated attempt to thwart her.

Her eyes widened as Vega suddenly straightened, Sydney's shuddering form in his arms. Blood so dark crimson it was almost black was spilling from her lips, coating her shirt, and with each shudder a wet, rattling gasp gurgled from her throat.

"_Sydney_!" Deirdre cried out, trying to surge to her feet, one hand reaching out. The world seemed to narrow, the ice water jolt of shock and horror filling her veins. Liara managed to restrain her again, and then Del was there, hauling her to her feet. Sickness clenched her stomach and the world turned ungraciously in a loop, nearly sliding away from the reach of consciousness.

When it steadied again, she was on the shuttle. Liara was holding her cradled against her side, gripping the pressure point in her arm once more. Clarity returning, Deirdre pulled away from her, stumbling to her knees beside the three on the ground.

Sydney lay prone on the floor of the shuttle, Mordin bent over her with Del kneeling on her other side. The captain was covered with blood, as was Vega, who stood solemn-faced beside Wrex and Eve. Shepard had her hands on Sydney's cheeks as Mordin struggled to control bleeding. The gaping wound in the woman's chest looked large enough to shove a fist through and she was struggling frantically to breathe, her wide amber eyes fixed to Shepard's unreadable dark.

Deirdre's head spun as she weakly pushed in beside Shepard, the captain drawing back to allow her room.

"_Syd_! Goddess, no…no, you will be _all right_," she heard herself sobbing as those beautiful amber irises shifted to her. "Just hang in there, love…you will be all right!"

A weak, trembling hand lifted, cold fingers pressing against her cheek. The asari gripped hold of that hand tightly, the fingers of her other hand tangling in gold hair as she bent, kissing Sydney's forehead before pressing her cheek against the human woman's.

"Do not leave me," she whispered shakily. "You are so _strong_, Sydney. Please…do not leave _us_."

"How far until we dock!" she heard Shepard demand, and barely heard the pilot's reply.

"Two more minutes!"

"Love you Deeds," Sydney whispered weakly against her ear, her voice only a faint breath. "Love you _both_."

"_I love you too_," Deirdre gasped. "Just hang on… please…_please_…"

The hand entangled in hers went limp. She sat up a little, frantically looking at Sydney's now closed eyes. "_**Syd**_? No…_no_, don't you dare!"

"She's lost consciousness," Mordin informed. "Must hurry, Shepard! Lost too much blood!"

"Damn it, Cortez, _fucking __**move it**_!" Shepard snarled.

* * *

The moment the shuttle docked, Chakras and her team rushed aboard, quickly shifting the limp blonde onto a hover gurney. A dazed and weeping Deirdre followed close behind, Liara supporting her. Shepard paused long enough to look at Vega. "Take care of them," she ordered, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the pair of krogan even as she hefted off her weapons pack, dropping it by the armory before she ran for the lift.

She reached the medi-bay only a few moments after the others. Liara had managed to steer Deirdre to a neighboring bio-bed, sitting beside her with her arms wound around her to prevent her jumping up again. Deirdre looked dazed, ashen, one hand plastered over her lips as tears silently traced down her cheeks.

Chakwas, Nan, and another medic were clustered around the wounded blonde, and none of them bothered trying to stop Del as she walked up, staring down at Rasler's pale face. Her eyes never shifted away through the chaos as Chakwas fought to save her life. The shouts, orders, and directions were lost in a hum of non-sound, a blending of pointless syllables and declarations.

Then the chaos seemed to halt, Helen's watery gray gaze fixing on the scan monitor over the bed. "Come on," she urged fervently under her breath. "_Come on_, damn it."

The air was thick with tension, Shepard's gut clenched with a bitter chill as she tore her gaze away from her old friend's face, looking up at the monitor as well. _Come on_, she echoed Helen's voice silently in her head, trying to will the colorful spikes of brain activity to resume. _Come on_.

_Come on._

The holographic brain on the monitor remained dark. Helen lowered her eyes, then shook her head. "That's it," she said from the other side of a canyon. "I'm sorry. She's gone."

Navis's wailing sob, a cry of pure agony, was a faint echo in Del's ears as she turned and walked out of the medi-bay.

Somehow, she made it back up to the Nest. Somehow, she managed to get out of her armor, out of her uniform, and into the shower. The water was scalding hot, rinsing away the blood, the sweat, and eventually the tears as Del began to cry.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Sorry for yesterday, was not feeling well. I also don't do well writing extremely emotional stuff…tends to slow me down. That's why today's chapter is a tad bit short.

Sadly…the carnage is just beginning…

* * *

The soft sound of a boot on metal preceded the tentative call.

"Captain?"

Shepard didn't move, save to pluck the cigar from between her lips, looking through the swirls of pale smoke as if they didn't exist.

Another step, then another, growing closer as the owner moved further down the stairs. A rustle of cloth, then a head poked around the corner.

"Captain?"

Shepard leaned forward, picking up the bottle between her feet, the heavy glow of the drive shaft painting blood-colored light over the small maintenance area.

The area used to be Jack's home. The biotic had liked hiding down there and often refused to come out. It was small, quiet, and it was rare someone would bother to descend down far enough to…well, be _bothersome_.

_Except me. Used to drive her crazy that I'd just show up down here too._

Now, she was the one sitting here in the semi-dark, and it was another seeking to disturb her calm.

She took a swallow of the whiskey in the bottle. It was so tasteless it may as well have been water. Her uninvited guest lingered silently a moment, before she came forward and sat down beside her.

"Might I?" she asked, gesturing at the bottle.

"You on duty?" Shepard asked in a low voice.

"Not at the moment."

Del passed the bottle over to Traynor and tucked the cigar back into her mouth. The specialist took a mild swig of it, then nodded as if to some unasked question, before passing it back. Shepard idly set it on the floor again, regarding the no doubt impenetrable and grand mysteries that were hidden inside the seemingly innocuous wall.

"I'm so sorry, Captain," Traynor said after the silence grew too think and too long.

"People die," Shepard said neutrally, still regarding the wall. "Especially in war."

"They do," Traynor agreed. "But she was your friend. A _good_ friend, from what I understand. It's all right to-"

"To what?" Shepard demanded.

"To grieve…be upset. _Cry_."

"That's going to bring her back, is it?"

"Of course not," Traynor told her. "However, if you concentrate on-"

"You know what I'm concentrating on? Tearing Cerberus apart cell by cell, soldier by soldier. Finding the Illusive Man's front door and putting about twelve rounds into his goddamn self-righteous asshole face. _That's_ what I'm concentrating on."

Traynor regarded her a moment, then produced a data pad, handing it to her. "I figured that might be your answer. I'm sorry it's not more."

Shepard took the pad and scowled at it, before blinking. "This is accurate?"

"It took several hours going through the encrypted files but I have verified it. Quite a large group of former Cerberus scientists and technicians are on the run from the organization. If we can retrieve that group we'll have valuable resources on our side, and it will strike a rather firm blow to Cerberus I think. I mean, it's not the Illusive Man…but it's a start, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Shepard whispered, then nodded. "Thanks, Sam."

"You're welcome, Shepard," Traynor replied. Another set of footsteps was moving down the stairs. These ones, Shepard recognized instantly. Traynor glanced that way, then lightly put a hand on Shepard's arm before rising silently. As Liara came around the corner, Traynor nodded to her.

"Dr. T'Soni," she murmured, then headed for the stairs. The asari glanced sadly at her, before going and seating herself beside Del.

Reaching out, Liara put her arm around Shepard's shoulder, resting her head against her and closing her eyes. Del didn't bother asking if she was all right. She knew that she wasn't. Neither of them were.

"Navis…?" she ventured instead, winding her own arm around the asari's waist.

"Is sedated," Liara informed softly. "Dr. Chakwas treated her arm. Soft tissue damage only."

Del knew as well as Liara that wasn't the only reason for the sedation. She expected that, were she ever faced with _Liara's_ death, she would need sedating as well.

Flicking the dead remnants of her cigar at the floor, she picked up the bottle again, took a swig. As she lowered it with a sigh, Liara shook her head.

"Del…Deeds is pregnant."

Shepard's soft groan was purely sympathy as she dropped her head, setting the bottle down before threading her hand behind her neck. "How long?"

"Just over a week. Dr. Chakwas noted it during her scan and Mordin confirmed that Syd was aware of it. It was not a decision they came to lightly, but I am glad that they did. It will…it will give Deeds something to fight for."

"Bringing a life into the midst of this war-"

"Is the greatest affirmation of hope in victory I can think of," Liara replied. Shepard wiped her face, her eyes dry but reddened.

"We'll need to get her someplace safe. Syd died protecting her and that baby, and I'm not going to let that sacrifice be meaningless."

"I know that you will not. None of us will," Liara agreed."I do not know, however, if _Navis_ will agree. She will be driven by a desire to protect her unborn daughter, it is true…but also by her anger and grief to destroy those who took Sydney away from her. She will want to fight."

Shepard stood up, rubbing a hand over her face. "We have to try and get her to see reason," she stated. "That little asari is exactly the reason we're _all_ fighting. Her energy and devotion need to go in to keeping her _safe_, not risking her loss."

"I know," Liara said gently. Rising herself, she slid her arms around Del's waist and hugged her tightly, feeling tears prick her eyelids as Shepard did the same. She remembered another time they had held each other like this over the death of a friend. Kaidan's loss had struck them both deeply, and Syd's loss was no less painful. Though Shepard had known her far longer, over the several months she'd been in Liara's life, Syd had made a rather significant impact, and Li shared Del's fury at Cerberus for taking her away.

"I was so concerned with keeping Eve safe," Shepard mumbled miserably into her shoulder. "I should have protected _her_."

"You were protecting the best hope of this entire galaxy," Liara whispered back. "Had Eve died, _everything_ would be lost."

Shepard sniffled faintly, closing her eyes.

* * *

The air in the med-bay seemed heavier, somehow. On a far bio-bed, Deirdre was still sleeping. Even with sedation, her brows were knit in the unconscious memory of what faced her when she woke.

There was no sign of Sydney, of course. Chakwas had already taken care of that matter, the sealed casket having been moved down to the cargo hold to await final dispensation. Helen herself was also conspicuously absent.

Mordin was present, however…as were Wrex and Eve. The krogan female was perched cross-legged on one of the nearer bio-beds, her eyes on the still form of the slumbering asari. Wrex leaned against the far wall as Mordin fussed at a console.

Shepard walked in, her crisp uniform and professional manner completely belying the fact that less than an hour before she had been drinking, smoking, and crying down in the maintenance area. Liara was at her heels, and almost immediately went over to check on the slumbering Navis.

Mordin looked toward the captain and Wrex straightened. The salarian nodded solemnly.

"Sorry about Rasler, Shepard," he said with genuine grief. "Good woman. Will miss her."

"So will I," Shepard told him, looking at Eve. "You all right?"

"I am physically well, Captain," Eve told her. "As everyone else, I am troubled emotionally at what has occurred. Sydney was at times my only contact outside my cell. I came to be very fond of her, and I am sorry that she is gone."

Shepard nodded, then cleared her throat. "Well, the last thing she'd want would be the lot of us sitting around miserably. We need to get you home and get that cure. Mordin, what are we looking at?"

"Combination of Maelon's data saved from experiments as well as cloned tissue samples from Eve, invaluable," the scientist informed her. "Have to proceed cautiously, strengthen Eve's health, compensate and correct for immuno-deficiencies. Will need tissue sample from healthy male krogan as well."

"You're lookin' at it," Wrex told him.

"Acceptable. Still, will take time, Shepard. Delicate work."

"How long?"

"Several days, possibly weeks," he answered. "Impossible to be certain, must create stable strain viable for all krogan without immunity compromise, other side-effects."

"Looks like you two are going to be with us a while then," Shepard sighed tiredly. She was not at all troubled by Wrex or Eve remaining on the _Normandy_ for any length of time. More, it was simply the weight of time _itself_ that pressed on her. Every minute, every hour, every day …_millions_ were dying. People who were depending on _her_ to put a stop to the madness.

_Several weeks may as well be a fucking __**eternity**__._

"I will let the Primarch know," she added verbally. "In the meantime, we're heading out to the galactic rim. We have a group of scientists we may be able to evacuate before Cerberus gets their clutches on them."

"Cerberus again," Wrex growled. "As if we didn't have _enough_ problems fighting the Reapers. Goddamn pyjaks."

"That's insulting the pyjaks, if you ask me," Shepard grumped. "Mordin, anything you need…_anything_, you just ask. I'll get it for you. This is our top priority right now."

"Understood. Will put in requisition with EDI if necessary."

Moving over to the female krogan, Shepard offered her hand. "The same goes for you," she insisted. "Anything you need to be comfortable, you just let me know."

Eve regarded her hand a moment, then took it with a nod. "I appreciate that, Captain. Thank you."

"Shepard," Del corrected with a faint smile. She looked over at Liara and the slumbering Deirdre a moment, before she turned and headed out of the medi-bay.

* * *

The War Room was bustling, a swirling hubbub of activity that never really ceased, only endured slightly calmer periods before the next news burst arrived. Victus was an almost constant fixture within, and he nodded at Shepard as she passed through to the QEC.

Barely had she started to approach than the holographic pad lit up, Hackett's careworn face turning toward her.

"Shepard, good to see you. I've gotten several reports and contacts from half a dozen heads of government, offers of aide, personnel and resources. Had it been anyone else brokering these agreements I never would have believed it. Hell, I'm still not sure that I do."

"We've still got a long way to go, sir. The agreement of the krogan and turians will be a bit harder won, the asari and hanar refuse to even talk, and the quarians and geth seem to have simply vanished."

"A long way, agreed…but I heard you are working on the turian and krogan problem right now. A cure for the genophage…is that really possible?"

"Dr. Solus seems to think so. I have hope, sir."

"Good, we need all the hope we can get. We've finally got construction started on Dr. T'Soni's plans. We're calling it _Project: Crucible_. I've put in requests with those who have contacted me regarding what supplies, resources, and engineers we need, but the more we can get on this the better."

"Then I have good news for you. We've heard of several scientists and researchers who are attempting to part ways with Cerberus. _Normandy_ is on the way now to rendezvous and hopefully retrieve them."

"If past history is any indication, I doubt Cerberus is taking the break-up lightly."

"No sir, I'm fully expecting kicking and screaming."

"Good. Show those traitors what it means to be Alliance."

"One last thing, sir. Have you heard from Admiral Anderson?"

"Yes, briefly. He and his group have made it to Eastern Washington and have met up with a full battalion that was there on combat training. Communications have much improved and he should have capability to call the _Normandy_ directly very shortly. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon."

"Good, that's good news. Thank you sir."

"No, thank _you_, Shepard. You're the only reason we have a chance at this. Make us proud, Captain."

"Yes, sir."

She saluted, the gesture returned before the admiral vanished.

* * *

Deirdre woke up, dazed and muzzy, to hear whispered voices near to her. Still muffled in a fog of sedative, she at first felt nothing, not even confusion, and merely stared at the blur of her hand as it rest on the cushion in front of her face.

After several minutes, the appendage clarified as did the voices, and she was able to recognize words.

"…be up to her," Liara noted softly. "She may even decide to return to Thessia. It is the safest place I can think of at the moment."

"The poor sweetheart," Nan replied sadly. "She needs family and friends with her now. I hope she doesn't try and go off on her own, that would be the worst choice she could make."

"I know, but it is her choice," Liara agreed. "Short of holding her prisoner, we cannot prevent her from doing as she wishes."

Staring still at her hand, memory returned in a lethargic, anesthetized monotone.

_Sydney. Sydney is gone. Sydney is dead. Dead. She's dead._

"Where is she?" she asked quietly. Had the two other women not paused a moment in their own conversation, they might never have heard her. Liara came into view, drawing close and lightly taking hold of Deirdre's arm.

"How are you feeling?" she asked kindly.

Navis's eyes blinked once. That was not an answer to her question.

"Where is she?" she asked again. Liara looked at Nan over Deirdre's shoulder, then back.

"She has already been…attended to," she told her. "She has been taken downstairs."

"She's dead…"

"Yes," Liara whispered. "I am so sorry, Deeds."

Shifting a little, the other asari moved into a sit. Her head felt heavy still with the sedative, but neither tried to halt her. Indeed, Nan put an arm around her shoulders and helped to support her. She felt tears spill down her cheeks but they seemed a million miles away.

"I am pregnant," she said distantly.

"We know," Nan replied. "Helen noticed during the scans. It's a good thing, honey. It's _good_ that you still have part of her with you."

Her slim blue fingers passed over her stomach. "I want to see her."

Liara looked at Nan, who frowned before nodding. "I think that would be fine," the human woman said. She knew from far too many years of dealing with pain and death, that sometimes it was the only way closure could be attained. As Sydney had been shot in the back, the wound exiting through her chest, there would be no obvious horrific injury to further traumatize the asari.

Liara silently agreed, moving to help Navis get to her feet. The asari in general had similar views on death. They believed it was always good to see the body afterward, to realize that the person within had clearly gone on, and that all that remained was a discarded container.

Supposedly it helped them to let go, to process and to cope. They knew the soul had gone on. They knew that part of that person would always dwell within them and so never truly die. The meat itself was unimportant.

At least, that was the understanding. It had been part of the reason Liara had insisted upon seeing Shepard's body after it had been recovered from the Shadow Broker's men. In her case, however, seeing it had not seemed to help at all…it had only made her even more hopeful that Miranda's team succeeded, that Del would be brought back.

_Perhaps that was merely because of my youth_, she thought hopefully as they left the infirmary and headed for the lift. Then she had to lower her head again. Perhaps it was…but Navis was not that much older than she.

One thing that was irrefutable about asari culture, however, was that they were far more open in their affection than other races. Deirdre was her friend, and she needed her now, and Liara thought absolutely nothing of taking the other woman's hand, their fingers threading together. She leaned over and whispered some mild words of comfort and encouragement, then gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before the lift doors parted.

If Nan was at all confused or worried by this display she made no indication, only lightly touched Deeds' back as they stepped out into the hold.

The casket sat discretely to one side. As they stepped out, Cortez and the other one or two men working in the armory paused and looked at them with quiet sympathy.

Deirdre never even saw them. All she saw was the smooth capsule of metal so quietly innocuous. Releasing Liara's hand she walked toward it, before her shaking fingers lowered to its perfectly polished surface.

Lowering down to her knees, she leaned forward until her forehead rested against the unfeeling metal, a sob involuntarily escaping her. She struggled it back, taking a deep breath as Liara drew close again, and looking up at her.

"I want to see her," she murmured.

Nan went over to the controls, quietly tapping in the sequence as Liara knelt down by Navis. The casket hummed, parting in a thin waft of cool gasses. A few minutes would cause no real harm to the body and the static atmosphere would always be restored once the casket was closed again.

Beyond being inhumanly pale, her eyelids and lips a faintly bruised purplish blue, Sydney looked as if she could be sleeping. The flatness around her, however-the lack of that almost unnoticeable vibrational energy that existed in all living organics-was unmistakable. Whatever life or spirit had once inhabited her, it was gone.

Deirdre's left hand fisted in the cloth at her chest, gripping tightly as her right reached out, lightly touching the human's cheek.

It was cold, still, and absent. Sydney would never smile again. Never open those amber eyes. Never make some smart ass remark or hold her hand or bark an order or drink a beer. Deirdre would never hear her voice again, save on a recording. Their daughter would never know her.

That's when the tears renewed, the thought that this little life growing inside her right now would never know Syd, that she'd only have flat recordings or stories. Syd would never get to hold her. Never get to see how beautiful she was. Never get to tell her she was proud of her…

_How could you leave me? How could you leave __**us**__ like this?_

She drew her hand back, covering her face as she collapsed against Liara, the other asari holding her tightly. She barely heard the casket sliding closed again. Struggling against the weight of the pain in her chest she forced her tears to slow, wiping her face.

Sydney was strong. She had died to keep them safe. Navis needed to be strong too, to live for the only part of her love that remained…the tiny little star still dancing with innocence and joy deep inside her.

"Do Wilcher and the others know?" she asked quietly once she could trust her voice.

"I do not know," Liara told her. "Shepard may have messaged them. I can find out for you."

"They need to know," she said, nodding faintly. Gripping Li's shoulder, she pushed herself to her feet, the other asari rising as well.

"Deeds…"

"I need some time alone," she said. "Just…I need to be alone for a while."

"I'll take you upstairs, get you settled somewhere, sweetie," Nan offered. As she escorted Deirdre back toward the lift she cast a sad glance at Liara. Once they'd gone, the young Shadow Broker sighed, her fingertips brushing over the top of the casket.

She knew, more intimately than she would ever have liked, the pain of losing the one you loved. She did not wish that pain on anyone, most especially not on her friends. Yet some part of her couldn't help but rejoice…a part that bit at her heart with guilt, weighed it with selfishness.

However much she hurt for Deirdre's grief, for Sydney's loss…all she could think was '_at least it was not Del. Goddess, thank you that it was not Shepard…_'


	28. Chapter 28

The prothean was sitting cross-legged on the cot in the cell, his head lowered and eyes closed. His entire demeanor smacked of some kind of meditation, and for a long while Shepard stood outside the shimmering barrier of energy, watching him in silence.

She had dismissed the guards with a gesture of her hand the moment she'd entered. Javik hadn't seemed to notice, nor did he seem to notice her silent perusal, either. He hadn't moved so much as a centimeter.

Liara had filled Shepard in on the extensive conversation she'd had with the man. Though his emotions were hard for her to interpret, it was the asari's feeling that Javik was both greatly troubled and regretful over his forcible assimilating of Del's memories. It was not so much the pain of her childhood or even her struggles in battle that seemed to bother him-being a warrior he had probably seen and experienced enough to be unsurprised by these.

More, it seemed two other elements of her memories had been what disquieted him. The first was experiencing Shepard's death over Alchera, and the shock of her resurrection by Lazarus. The second- Shepard's encounter with Dr. Wyatt- had left its own rather visceral mark on the man's psyche. When Liara had mentioned the doctor's name, in fact, Javik had become quite _furious._

He had told her some of the prothean culture. He had answered them, but her questions only seemed to baffle him; he did not understand why she cared. While he was frustratingly vague on a lot of points, Liara was able to glean a great deal of information that explained his behavior.

It had been believed, concluded by her research and that of others, that the protheans had been the only space-faring race of their cycle. It was the source of unending confusion and debate, for it would seem astronomically against the odds that only a single race would advance so far.

It turned out, the odds were correct. The protheans –Javik's native race- were not the only ones to have attained space travel. They were, however, the first and most powerful, and had dominated and assimilated the other races into their Empire. Over time, these races also donned the name 'prothean', though they were of differing species.

It was like the old Roman empires of Earth, the Edis'wul of turian history, or the Amanti of asari culture. One more powerful regime that preyed upon lesser ones, absorbing its members into its collective, forcibly replacing the cultural identity and history of those it consumed.

In asari history, the Amanti had appeared shortly after Thessia's people had entered their Bronze age. An empirical force, the Amanti was formed by the most powerful biotics and lead by Aswi V'Dess. Aswi was a great biotic but also an incredibly cunning strategist possessed of an immense ambition. It was said she was indelibly charming, a gifted mathematician, and an idealist who unfortunately could not see that her ambitions for her people were causing more harm than good.

Some tales claimed her an Ardat-Yakshi…which was absurd, considering the names of the twelve daughters she fathered and the four she mothered were extremely well documented, and the V'Dess line continued even now.

What had begun as a small village controlled by Aswi and a handful of her devoted soon became an Empire that crossed half of Thessia. The people conquered had no choice but to submit to Aswi and the Amanti- to put aside their own beliefs, practices, and traditions and adopt the 'new ideal'- or be executed.

It is said the body count over the five hundred years of the Amanti's advance was a hundred thousand, nearly a third of Thessia's entire population at the time, and proof that a great many did in fact choose death. However, many _more_ chose to be assimilated and pledge devotion to Aswi.

A great many _good_ things came out of the Amanti era, however. It was not all evil. Barbaric and power-driven though it might have been, it helped greatly to develop education in writing, literature, and several other art forms. Science and philosophy evolved drastically, mathematics were celebrated, and it opened the gates for the hugely advancing renaissance that followed Aswi's death. Without the Amanti it would likely have taken a few centuries longer to achieve the progress the asari had attained by the time it collapsed.

The prothean empire had maintained a great deal longer, enveloping not only their world but countless others besides. Javik's superior attitude was simply a product of his culture. He was a true-born prothean and so the other races- he even used the term 'slave races' which denoted quite clearly how they were viewed- were all beneath him. Strength, bloodline, class, caste, family…these in his mind elevated him above nearly everyone he met, and so he thought nothing of simply taking and demanding from what he saw as not only lesser races, but incredibly primitive ones.

His encounter with Shepard had not only illustrated this but also had unwittingly turned his entire perceptions on their head. It would take time for him to resolve matters in his mind and find his footing in this completely alien realm he'd woken into.

Liara had seemed both excited and yet somehow so incredibly disappointed as she'd explained all this to Del. She had thought the protheans were enlightened, philosophical, spiritual…seekers of peace and knowledge, holding all the answers that so eluded the races of this era. She admitted that she had clearly simply been coloring the thin evidence she'd found of them with her own idealistic perceptions but…it was sad to watch the realization in her eyes.

She'd studied them her whole life, devoted everything to them…only to find out they were less Aristotle and more Genghis Kahn. Del almost wanted to hate the fucker. Not for his attitude or his traumatically blunt invasion of her memories, but simply for the fact that he and his people were not what Liara had expected.

How long she stood there, watching him and going over everything in her mind, she couldn't say. Her thoughts were only interrupted when he finally lifted his head, opening his eyes and regarding her.

"You have dismissed the guards," he noted. "You have either decided on my release or my execution."

Shepard lifted a brow. "Well, you saw pretty much all there was to see about me. Which do _you_ think I decided on?"

"Given what I experienced? _Either_," he told her. "If you consider me a threat to your ship, your crew, or your mission, you will kill me. I have no doubt of that."

"So, then…convince me you're _not_ a threat," she demanded.

"I am a soldier, like you. My people are gone. I have nothing left, only my vengeance. I want only to see the Reapers destroyed and defeated, or to die trying to attain that. None of this is served by harming your crew or ship."

"You and I might have differing definitions of 'harm'," Shepard told him.

"Enlighten me."

"You will not insult or undermine any person under my command. That includes calling them 'primitives' or treating them with disdain. Liara told me about your Empire, so I understand where you're coming from…but you had better understand _us_. We may have been barbarians or uneducated or whatever you want to call it fifty thousand years ago, but we've done a _lot_ of growing in the mean time. We've come a long way, and you are _not_ in your cycle any more. It's shit, I know. I'm sorry as hell about your people and what you've lost, but I can't do anything about it. What I _can_ do is save my people, _this_ cycle, and I fucking intend to do it. This galaxy is diverse. Every culture, every government, stands as a unique individual. You're going to have to accept that."

"And how is that working for you?" Javik asked. "This…_diversity_, this individuality of races? You are spending valuable energies you _should_ be using to fight, and instead you are running around, trying to unite these 'individuals'…trying to cajole and placate them into falling into line. They are weak fools with their heads stuck in the sand, and by the time you pull them out, the Reapers will have won."

"Hmm," Del pursed her lips thoughtfully. "On the _other_ hand, we have _your_ people. Cultures forcibly assimilated, changed to one language, one society, one set of beliefs."

"There is strength in unity."

"Yeah. And how did _that_ work for _you_?" she asked. "The problem with everyone thinking alike is that _everyone thinks alike_. You can't adapt, you can't adjust, you all use the same strategies and once those are spent, you're fucked in the ass."

He glowered, silent a moment, before he nodded. "I will accept that. I will do my best to be…_civil_."

"Good. Second thing, you _will_ obey my orders. I say something, you fucking _do_ it, dong ma?"

"Shi a," he replied instantly, clearly having less issue with this than with treating the others with respect. It was the way he shaped his answer, however, that made Shepard blink. He had responded in Chinese.

Her instant thought was _where the fuck did he learn Chinese?_

Her answering thought was _the same place he learned __**Galactic**__, stupid…he took it from your head_.

Any other language than prothean being utterly alien to him, he would have no idea that the Chinese and English Shepard knew and used frequently (the Chinese especially) were parts of separate languages. He would know them and use them in what he perceived as their proper form from her mind, and simply assume they were one and the same.

_That…could be amusing._

"Final thing," she said, her voice going hard. "You _do not_ touch me or _any_ member of this crew like that without permission again. I don't care what you _think_, I don't care what you feel you _need_ to know, if you forcibly view someone's memories again or you so much as lay a _goddamn finger_ on me, I will fucking _kill_ you where you stand. Am I crystal?"

"Yes, Captain," he murmured. She had no doubt that he would never want to view any of _her_ memories ever again, but she wanted it to be absolutely clear that shit didn't fly with the rest of her crew, either. In fact, she'd probably be a lot _less_ forgiving if he had done something like that to Liara or Sam or Garrus, instead of her.

"All right. Then as far as I'm concerned, you're part of this crew and this fight. Unless you decide to prove to me otherwise. Trust me, you _don't_ want to decide that."

Reaching out she touched the security panel, dropping the barrier. "Come with me," she said. "I will show you where your room is."

* * *

Despite the steps that had been taken with Javik, it would still take a while before Shepard would trust the man in a fire-fight and feel the need to bring him along on a mission. So it was Liara, Wrex, and EDI that dropped down with her from the shuttle on Noveria, opening fire on the Cerberus troops lurking just outside the huge facility door.

Noveria. The last time she'd been there was when Benezia had died and she'd freed the Rachni Queen. It had been in the middle of a blizzard then. Now, the sky was crisp and blue, but it was every bit as fucking _cold_.

The Cerberus refugees had mostly sealed themselves into the abandoned facility they'd appropriated, but a few had been trapped outside and were under heavy attack when they arrived-apparently, not a moment too soon.

Shepard didn't even wait for the shuttle to land. As soon as it was close enough, they were laying down fire, trying to protect the trapped civvies. The moment the ground was in leaping range they were out, hitting the icy loading dock without a moment's pause in their attack.

Shepard was not krogan. Though she had fought beside more than one, though she had acted as _krant _through Grunt's Rite, though she'd tested herself in a hand-to-hand fight with Wrex himself, it still remained a fact that she was _not_ a krogan.

However as the enemy troops turned to face her-as she saw those familiar white, yellow, and black hard-suits-all that she could think of was that these fuckers had taken Syd, and something very much like a krogan blood-rage descended over her eyes.

Running in under the initial wave of bullets she bodily tackled the nearest trooper as he clumsily turned to dive for cover. They slammed to the ground and the butt of her rifle rammed into his face-plate hard enough to not only crack it, but break his nose underneath. Dazed, he was unable to react as she stood and emptied a half dozen shots into his face.

The rest of the fight was a blur. She was vaguely aware of biotics flashing, tearing Cerberus off the pad and into thousands of feet of open air. She heard Wrex's roar of triumph as he brought his sizable weight down on a fallen man's chest before erasing his life with a blast from his shotgun. At one point, she was pretty sure she had seen EDI lifting a struggling soldier by his face-plate clear off the ground…much like her body's previous inhabitant had once used it to lift Ash into the air.

In truth, however, she didn't really start clarifying until the last body had fallen still, and the immediate threat had ended.

Puffing and blowing slightly, she glanced at her people to make sure there were no injuries, before she ran toward the flimsy cover beside the door.

A pair of civvies lay shot and bleeding in the open. She dropped by the first one, questing for a pulse and cursing when it wasn't found. Liara passed her to reach the second, and as she did a man popped up from behind some boxes and aimed his gun.

Shepard's rifle snapped up and she fixed him with a glare. "_Hold it-…._Jacob? Taylor, is that you?"

"Shepard?" the man blinked, lowering his weapon before he shook his head. "You really _do_ show up at the damndest times, don't you?"

"She is still alive," Liara announced from her crouched position next to the other wounded civvie.

"Let's get her inside," Shepard said. "Jacob, we need these doors opened. Can you do that?"

"They'll open them now that the immediate threat is gone, but we've got to evacuate before reinforcements arrive."

"All right, we can talk inside. Liara, she safe to be carried?"

"I think so."

Shepard squatted and ran her arms under the wounded woman, hefting her up as the huge doors began to slide open.

* * *

"Wait, did I hear that correctly?" Del asked, measuring the woman in front of her. "There are _children_ here?"

"Seventeen," came the almost weary response, causing Shepard to stiffen. "According to Jacob, you know Cerberus as well as we, Captain. They don't take parting from them lightly, and it's not just the one leaving they tend to go after. Families, children, sometimes friends…all are at risk. It was either take them with us or leave them behind to be targets."

Shepard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose a moment before nodding.

The woman in front of her, trying to coordinate things and speak to Shepard at the same time, had been introduced by Jacob as Dr. Brynn Cole, the ad hoc leader of the group of refugees. She struck Shepard as a very capable and intelligent woman.

_Thank God intelligent enough to leave Cerberus._

"All right. We can get you all out of here," she said. "We need all the scientists and researchers we can get right now, if you're willing to join an Alliance project that just may put a stop to this war."

"In exchange for our evacuation?" Cole asked.

"I'm not going to leave you here to be slaughtered if you don't want to help the Alliance, doctor," Shepard said tersely. "I'm hoping the motivation of wanting to put a stop to the Reapers and Cerberus both is incentive enough, but I'm not going to _abandon_ you if you disagree."

Cole's shoulders loosened a little, and she shook her head. "Of course you won't. I'm sorry, Captain. Too many years dealing with Cerberus. Listen, if this project of the Alliance's really has a chance at stopping the Reapers, and if you can get us out of here in one piece, then I promise you we will put our energies into whatever is needed of us."

"Good to hear, Doc. How long until we can get these people out of here?"

"Twenty minutes, at minimum," she replied. "That's if everything moves quickly and we run into no hiccups. Realistically, I'd say at least forty minutes. Cerberus is going to be beating out door down again long before that."

"You leave Cerberus to me and my people," Shepard told her. "We'll handle that frontier, you do what you need to do to get these folks out of here."

Striding out of the lab she pointed at Wrex. "I want you and EDI down by the main doors. EDI, on communications. See if you can't tap in to Cerberus frequencies and give us an early alert before they land. Liara, you and I are going up to the roof to make sure they don't try and sneak in the back way."

* * *

The wind above the facility was strong, buffeting against them almost the instant they emerged. A snowscape almost pristine white was marred only by the communications antennae and a few small anti-craft guns. Shepard headed immediately for these to check that their targeting computers were functional. With luck, they could pick the Cerberus vessels out of the sky before they had any hope of landing.

As she worked, Liara scanned the pristine blue above them a moment, then drew up to her side. "You were a bit _intent_ back there," she noted. "During the fight."

"Just had to clear those troops out before they hurt any more of the civvies," Shepard told her.

"I know, but even in desperate situations it is not like you to be that…_adamant_. You were angry-"

"Of _course_ I was angry," Shepard growled, looking at her. "Those fuckers killed my _friend_, Liara. They tried to keep you and I apart, manipulated us both to their own ends. They took Nan hostage, and would gladly not only wipe out anyone that tries to leave their ranks but track down their _friends and family_? Their _kids_? Yeah, you could say I was fucking _angry_."

"That is fine," Liara said gently. "_Be_ angry, but do not be _careless_. You have never allowed your anger to carry _you_, Shepard. You have always carried _it_. What I saw down there was the _anger_ in control, not you. If that happens, you become careless, and I do not need to tell you how it is marines are killed."

Shepard gripped the edges of the control panel tightly, and lowered her head before blowing out a breath. "You're right," she admitted. "I just…I saw those fuckers and all I could see was Syd and…I just wanted them to pay. I wasn't thinking."

"We _all_ want them to pay, Del," Liara told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "They _will_ pay. I have no doubt of that, but we _need you_. This galaxy needs you alive. _I_ need you. It is hard to get married if your partner is dead."

Shepard glanced at her, then gave a tired smirk. "Point taken, Tianlán."

Turning her attention back to the gun she filed through the command protocols, then nodded. "I can get them online and tuned to Cerberus. They're going to have a nasty fucking surprise waiting for them when they try and land again."

She glanced back up at Liara with a smile, then noticed the tiny red dot dancing over the asari's helmet. Flinging her arms around her neck in a purely reflexive motion she simply dropped her body weight backward, dragging the asari with her.

A bullet snapped past with no more hiss than a wasp, narrowly missing her.

"Sniper!" Shepard gasped, rolling even as she landed, hauling out her rifle. Liara, disoriented, nevertheless instantly threw a barrier up around them at the word, and a second shot rippled harmlessly off of it.

Regaining their feet, they hurried behind the AC gun console, Shepard snapping her infrared scope on and setting it to her eye.

"Where are they?" Liara asked breathlessly as the human slowly panned around the roof.

"_There_," she said, fixing on the small heat signature huddled at the far end of the roof, partially obscured by a vent fan. The crosshairs crawled over the squiggle of orange and red and as it shifted to focus its own sites once again, she pulled the trigger.

The sniper dropped.

"Two can play _that_ game, fucker," Shepard grinned. "Sniper's down, but they're probably not alone. We-"

Two booted feet swung out of nowhere as an assassin, hidden just below the lip of the roof, swung upward. They cracked into Shepard's face-plate with force, skipping her backward and off her feet. Metal sang down and heat slashed over her glove as her rifle was torn away. Instantly she felt the biting cold of the Noveria afternoon mingle with the undeniable heat of blood over her hand.

Rolling, her face-plate cracked, she heard the hum of biotics, then another metallic ring and a cry of pain. She saw Liara fall to the snow and bounded to her feet.

The asari was limp. From here, with the buffeting wind stirring snow, she could not even tell if she was breathing.

The assassin was female, but that was all that Shepard could glean, features and even race completely hidden. She was standing there at Liara's feet, facing Shepard in a half crouch, one hand extended far to her side. She wore no hard-suit, only bundled layers of cloth protection over a thermal skin-suit, the thin strip of infrared goggles shimmering an implacable red.

In her extended hand, she held a sword.

A fucking _sword_.

Shepard's sniper was several feet away, having been thrown. Drawing her pistol she aimed it and fired, the assassin leaning left, then right, fast as a viper. The first shot missed completely, the second only skidding slightly as a barrier flared.

She was halfway through squeezing the trigger again when the bitch rolled forward, arched up, and landed two boots in the chin of Del's helmet again.

She hit the ground with a hard bark, blinking stars from her eyes before she grit her teeth. No organic had the right to be that fast.

_This bitch had better not be another one like Coré…_

_Or you'll __**what**__, Del…file a complaint with Cerberus? Formally protest their use of illegal tech?_

The sword blade flashed in the snow and Shepard jerked to one side. The edge sang as it ricocheted off the slope of her helmet and struck the concrete roof. Shepard whipped her leg around, feeling the satisfying thump as it collided solidly with meat. It was the assassin's turn to hit the ground.

Del surged forward, intent on grabbing or tackling before her opponent could recover but the bitch was too fast once again, already on her feet. She didn't press the attack this time, simply stood there and watched Del with a cocked head.

Lumbering to a stand, Del shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear ringing. Her pistol lay beside her but she was uninterested in it. Her dark eyes narrowed furiously.

"You playing with me now?" she asked. The assassin just watched.

Del grinned, reaching over her shoulder. There was a hiss as her own katana was drawn out of her weapons pack, the gold Phoenix on the hilt shimmering in the sunlight.

"Fine by me, _chun_. Let's _**play**_."


	29. Chapter 29

It was an odd sight to see, perhaps. A snow-covered roof on the top of a mountain on some distant world thousands of light-years away from Earth. An N7 marine in full hard-suit facing down a scrappy little female of unknown species, both wielding katana swords, of all things.

Shepard was not struck by the absurdity, however. The bitch was _fast_, and that sword of hers was fucking _sharp_ if it had cut through the reinforced mesh of her glove enough to slice her skin. Even the scales on the back of the thresher maw she'd tackled had taken a bit of working to cut that deep.

_Probably sharpened on the molecular level. Turian degufad steel mined on Bedestad…which means it can and __**will**__ cut through my hard-suit fairly easily. And here __**I**__ am, with my centuries old plain Earth metal relic. Think the shiny phoenix on it will make a difference?_

Her boots crunched in the snow as her cold gloves creaked, fingers tightening around the hilt. Blood from her gash dropped in startling spots of bright crimson on the pristine white below her, smeared into the leather bindings of the katana, unnoticed.

Kasumi had taught her a lot, but much of the grace and finesse of the thief's fighting style, Shepard had never been able to pick up. She was a heavy, and as a result didn't connect very often with the blade…though when she **did**, she was like an earthquake, to use Goto's own words. Unfortunately, her opponent was clearly of the 'leaf in the wind' variety and that gave _her _even more of the advantage.

Her silent, faceless enemy barely made footprints in the layer of snow, seeming almost to float right above it as she effortlessly eased to the side. The sunlight flashed off her blade as the two circled one another.

Then, an almost delicate little hop into the air, and the bitch pirouetted so quickly she became a blur. Instinctively Shepard swung her blade up beside her head, the sharp ring as both swords collided shaking her arms up to her shoulders.

There were sparks, actual _sparks_ which proved her enemy's blade was of degufad. They flashed over Del's damaged face-plate like tiny flowers, before fading. Dropping low, Del whipped a return strike toward the bitch's feet but she was already flipping away, as carelessly agile as a gymnast.

Strike after strike sang at her, and Del barely managed to block them before she resorted to her old standby. _Fury_.

Surging in she caught her opponent's ankle as she once again started to flip away from her, and hauled it downward, jerking her off her feet and slamming her to the ground. Del stabbed her katana toward the woman's chest only to have it blocked. The bitch twisted, her foot cracking into Shepard's face-plate again and thrusting her back. Del hit the ground, skidding a little on the ice. She rolled, wrenching her boot-knife free as she did, the Phoenix lifting just in time to block another lightning blow as it sailed toward her face. With a growl of determination, she slammed her other hand up, planting her knife into the startled bitch's side.

Her opponent recoiled, staggering back, gripping the handle of the knife in her side. Shepard lumbered to her feet, shaking off her arms and glaring as the tip of her blade whispered over the roof-top.

"Didn't see _that_ coming, did you?"

Soundlessly, the woman tore the blade from her side, flipped it in her hand, and flung it at Del. She moved so fast that Shepard barely had time to even recoil before the knife was sinking into her chest-plate.

Fortunately, it was no match for layers of metal and reinforced plastic and ceramic. Digging in less than an inch, it was halted well away from penetrating her flesh. In irritation, Shepard ripped the dagger out again. She imagined her faceless opponent looked smug.

"I'm not the one _bleeding_ now am I?" Shepard grinned coldly, and lunged forward again.

A fist barked into her abdomen in three quick jabs, an arm as tight as steel flinging around her neck, just under her helmet. Shepard's own fist, wrapped around the handle of the dagger and driven with murderous force, cracked into the side of her enemy's head. The grip loosened, but Shepard felt the undeniable force of metal underneath the cloth bindings. She was wearing some kind of skull cap under all that fabric.

Then boots were in her gut and she was tossed away again with surprising strength, tumbling madly over the icy roof. She dropped her dagger, losing her grip on her katana. The silent woman belted after her, her own blade lifted and ready to strike, the wound in her side seeming to not even slow her down. Shepard recovered, moving into a crouch and lifting her left arm just as the blade sang down.

The gleaming tip of it vibrated lightly against her face-plate as it jarred to a halt an inch in front of Del's eyes. The blade had completely skewered her forearm, penetrating the reinforced pads, her skin-suit beneath it…sinking through flesh, muscle, and tissue, before sliding out the opposite side as easily as if it had passed through air.

Gritting her teeth, Del whipped her arm to the side, twisting it. She felt the edges of the blade wrench and scrape against her reinforced radius and ulna, almost locking it into place as she ripped it out of her enemy's hands. Rocking back, it was her turn to plant a boot into a stomach, the kick hard enough to create an audible bark of air as the smaller woman was cast backward.

Shepard got to her feet, growling as she grabbed hold of the katana's handle and hauled it out of her arm. Thanks to her suit's inbuilt painkillers she felt only the ghost of heated pain as she did so. As her opponent struggled to regain her breath, weakly trying to push herself up, Shepard closed in on her with grit teeth.

The sword sang as it skewered the bitch through the hip, sinking into the concrete below her and pinning her down. There was a gasp, but no cry of pain as she groped momentarily toward the sword…then toward Shepard's bleeding arm as the marine slammed it down on her throat, holding her prone.

"I'd suggest _not moving_," Del snarled, tearing off the wrapping around the woman's face with her free hand, then ripping the thermal goggles off.

She was human…as near as Shepard could tell. She wore a tight metal skull-cap-…no, strike that. It seemed to be _fused_ directly into her flesh. Threads of bio-electric wire as fine as spider silk danced a pattern over her temples and forehead, sinking into the edges of her clearly cybernetic eyes.

She was not fully synthetic like Eva Coré had been, but neither was she human any more. Like the soldiers they'd fought on Mars, she looked like a bastard version of a husk, a median step between normal and Reaper.

The tiny, gaunt face was nearly skeletal, lips so thin they were almost nonexistent spread back over her bared teeth.

"Can you _talk_?" Shepard demanded, pressing her arm down a bit tighter. Blood still leaking from it and her wounded hand smudged patterns over incredibly pale skin. "You speak?"

The woman glared, then blinked once.

The explosion took Shepard utterly by surprise. The woman's eyes lit up with fire, her entire face blooming like a flower of blood and bone. The blast further cracked her own face-plate as the concussion snapped her head painfully backward.

Her vision went completely black for a moment. When it returned, she was laying on the cold ground again, her ears ringing and freezing air spilling in the broken shards of her face-plate. Blinking carefully, not wanting to cut her eyes if any debris had gotten into them, she weakly rolled onto her stomach, then pushed herself up.

The assassin was more than obviously dead, her head nothing more than a fan of refuse and a scorch on the ground. Stretching her jaw a little, Shepard recalled something Miranda had told her once about ocular flash-bangs being Cerberus's suicide-of-choice in case of enemy detainment. She'd just never dreamed she'd see it so up close and personal.

Looking toward Liara, she was relieved to see the asari was stirring. Trotting that direction, she dropped down and took light hold of her. "Li? You ok?"

"Yes…I-I think so," she groaned. "What hit me?"

"Some kind of Cerberus operative. Nimble fucking bitch, enhanced like the ones we saw on Mars. You cut?"

"Cut…? No, I-I do not think so. I think she kicked me in the chest…knocked my wind out. Hurts to breathe a little."

"She may have cracked a few ribs. C'mon, can you get up? Take it easy…"

She helped the asari up, Liara holding her for support and coughing a time or two before she nodded. "I think I am good, Shepard. She-?"

"Don't worry about her," Shepard grunted. "She's down."

"You do not think-…Del!"

Liara finally focused on her, noticing the smashed face-plate. Immediately grabbing the woman's shoulders she stepped back and looked her over, quickly zeroing in on the blood painting her arm and hand. "We need to get you to Helen-"

"First we need to get these refugees out of here," Shepard reminded her. "I've had a hell of a lot worse, Li. I'm all right. Suit's numbed me up and I can tell the bleeding is slowing on its own. It can wait a while."

The look in Liara's blue eyes read only one accusatory word…_stubborn_, before the asari reluctantly nodded. Shepard hugged her momentarily with her good arm, then touched her radio.

"Dr. Cole, how are things going down there?"

"_We are nearly ready to go."_

_{Shepard, we have a problem,}_ Joker broke in. _{There's a Cerberus frigate closing orbit from the other side of the planet. They're launching fighters on an intercept trajectory with your location.}_

"Can you take them out?"

_{Not close enough. Moving to intercept the frigate but the fighters will be in atmo before they're in range of __**Normandy's**__ weapons. ETA to your location…I'm guessing about ten minutes, max.}_

"Fuck. These small anti-craft guns may knock down a few shuttles but they're not going to be able to fire or compensate fast enough to engage fighters," Shepard grumped. "The evacuating shuttles will be knocked down like swatting flies. Drunk, _fat_ flies."

"_Captain, I heard that,"_ Dr. Cole answered. _"Can you get down here? I think I may have something that might buy us some time."_

"We're on our way," Del said. Gathering her knife and katana, she sheathed them, then yanked the assassin's blade free as well, sliding it in the back of her weapons-pack. No point leaving it behind.

That done, she tugged a grenade free of her belt. "Li, get yours too. We'll set them on motion sensitivity, plant them around the door leading inside. If any other troops try and get into the facility from this area they'll meet a nasty surprise…and it'll give us a warning."

With Liara moving gingerly, one hand pressed to her wounded chest…and Del working with one hand as well, they got the grenades set and planted around the door, before heading inside and back down to the others.

Most of the shuttles were just about full, supplies and personnel already on board. Brynn ran to meet them, took one look at the pair, and urged them into the tiny medical unit. Cracking open some medi-gel she quickly sealed the wounds on Shepard's arm and hand, even as she was speaking.

"Many of the scientists here were developing new tech and bioweapons technology for Cerberus," she said. "Some of them managed to smuggle their plans or prototypes along with them. Dr. Archer brought along a working prototype that I was afraid we'd have to leave behind, but may end up being our saving grace."

"Dr. Archer," Shepard asked, then narrowed her eyes. "Not Dr. _Gavin_ Archer?"

"One and the same," Cole replied.

"The man who wired his brother up to an AI and nearly drove him mad?" Liara demanded. "What he did was horrific, tantamount to torture of the most egregious kind!"

"We've all done things we're not proud of here. I won't apologize for what he did, but what he's done since may save all of us. It'd be foolish not to use it because of his past mistakes."

"What is it?" Del asked. Cole met her eyes, finishing with her hand.

"Best if I show you."

* * *

As they approached a heavy metal door, a man straightened from a console, looking at them narrowly. Shepard instantly recognized Archer, unable to help the scowl that crossed her face. For his part, he looked troubled.

"Captain Shepard," he greeted faintly. "I wish I could say it was good to see you again but it rather makes me fear for my life. You were not very happy with me when we last parted."

"I'm _still_ not happy with you," she growled. "Dr. Cole seems to be of an opinion, however, that your work just may _save_ our collective asses, so I'll do you a favor and _not_ put your teeth out until I see what it is."

Glancing at Cole, who gave him a firm nod, Gavin conceded. Accessing his controls, the opened the large metal door. As it slid open, he led them into a dark bay, the lights slowly flashing on.

In the middle of the launch bay was a small but unmistakable direct-combat fighter. Easily half the size of the fighters that she'd trained on, this one had a sleek line and an oddly rounded bottom chassis, the stabilizing wings that would allow it to fly in atmo even if its small eezo core was defunct , were extended like a fan of razors from its sides.

"I decided to use my expertise in virtual and artificial intelligence programming to create a new VI interface for fighter ships and modules in deep space combat," he explained. "Then I decided, why stop there? What you're looking at, Captain, is probably the most advanced direct-combat fighter unit ever developed. I call it the _Sabre_. It is 19% faster in atmo and in space combat sims than the top of the line Alliance Juareg-Class fighters. Thanks to the tweaks to its eezo and containment systems it is 90% more maneuverable than Detrimos-Class. It has small guns, and…as you've probably already noted…that rounded portion at the bottom is a direct magnetohydrodynamic weapon capable of cutting a frigate in two."

Shepard stared, enrapt as her hand slipped along the fighter's sleekly polished side, peering in the semi-translucent canopy with a wicked grin. "It has a prone pilot seating system."

"Yes. Studies have shown such a position is far more efficient for pilot control. Not that it _needs_ a pilot to control it, mind. This fighter is designed to be multi-functional. It can be directed manually by an organic pilot, or it can go under the direction of a full, remote VI combat suite…or an _AI_ one. If an AI was installed, this fighter would-for all intents and purposes-become alive."

"Alive?" Liara blinked.

"Yes. This is beyond cutting edge. This fighter has incorporated biomemetic and microscopic repair protocols that allow it to actually self-repair…_heal_ damage. It has something much like muscle memory and can 'remember' certain maneuvers performed by its organic pilot while on manual mode, making reaction times even quicker. Add in a sentient AI mind and it _would_ be alive."

"Can we power it up?" Shepard asked. "If it's as good as you say, it can take out those fighters and give us enough cover to get the shuttles out of here."

"It is functional and ready to fly, Captain…the only problem is the lack of a pilot."

"I thought you said it could be VI driven."

"It can, but I haven't programmed the VI for it yet. One could be installed, even an office assistant VI would do, but it would take hours of programming to fully integrate it into the systems. We don't have that kind of time."

"Then we fly it manually," Shepard replied.

"Del, I know what you are thinking," Liara warned, and Shepard nodded at her.

"Then you know arguing with me wouldn't work. Help get the rest of these civvies on those shuttles and safely to the _Normandy_. I'll take care of the fighters."

"Your arm is injured and you have not flown a fighter in years," Li protested.

"We don't have time to discuss this. Have _you_ ever flown a fighter?"

"Well, no-"

"Dr. Cole? Dr. Archer? Either of you ever flown one? No? We have five minutes, Tianlán. I gotta do this."

Liara scowled, then gently hugged her. "Just come back safe."

"I always do, babe," Shepard murmured back, then gave her a wink. "Go on. Help with the shuttles. I'll see you on the _Normandy_. Dr. Archer, not to jinx myself with vernacular but…give me a quick crash course and let's get this thing going."

As he opened the canopy and began powering up the fighter, Dr. Cole and Liara headed back for the main area to help with the evacuation. Liara glanced back at the door, Del looking up to meet her eyes a moment and give her an encouraging nod. As the asari disappeared, Gavin shook his head.

"I see her devotion to you has not waned."

"It's called _love_, something you know precious little about," Del said dryly. "Show me how this bird works and get out of the way."

"If you've flown any class of Alliance fighter it should be fairly self evident," he told her. "Just remember the speed and response-times are drastically enhanced…be careful not to overcompensate, especially in atmo. One little thing…this control here. That releases the swarm."

"Swarm?"

"Twenty-five fist-sized explosive drones that will launch from the back of the Sabre and hone in on any of your targeted enemies. You have to target them to be sure the drones don't hit friendlies but once locked on these little blighters are incredibly persistent. They possess magento-locks as well as laser systems that allow them to burrow into a ship's outer hull if they must, before detonating. More, they're replicated by the Sabre. Once the swarm is launched so long as it has sufficient fuel and resources locked in, the Sabre can reproduce one drone per sixty seconds. You may only be able to launch one full swarm per dog-fight but that will generally be all you need."

"You can fill me in on more specifics later. Right now I gotta get up in the blue."

"Good luck, Captain. I mean that."

She slipped into the cockpit, cracking her neck. Being a prone design rather than a seated one, she was actually laying more or less on her belly, her legs extended into slots on either side and slightly bent, her hands on the controls even with her shoulders. It was more or less the position adopted when riding a fast ground-bike, and she could access various controls not only with her hands and fingers but also with her feet.

Being as her helmet face-plate was ruined, she was fucked if a lucky hit breached the fighter's canopy, but it was a risk she had to take. As the fighter closed up around her, the HI interface popped up, and she felt the familiar hum of a small but powerful eezo core.

Del couldn't help the grin as she lifted the fighter up off the floor. Archer hadn't been kidding about the speed and responsiveness…it seemed like she only had to _think_ of what she wanted and the ship answered instantly. Guiding it carefully toward the opening launch doors she directed it out into open atmosphere.

Blue sky sailed above her. Below, the snow-covered mountain dropped several hundred feet. Her HI interface did not just give her a forward view, but seemed to make the walls around her transparent. She could look down 'through' the floor of the fighter and 'through' each of the walls. The view was breathtaking.

"_Shepard those fighters are closing in! We have visual!"_ Cole's voice broke her awe, and she turned the Sabre, kicking up its speed.

"_Roger that, I'm moving to intercept," _she replied. _"As soon as I've drawn them off, launch those shuttles!"_

* * *

Cortez had landed as well, helping to load personnel and supplies onto the _Normandy_ shuttle. As he helped Jacob and Dr. Cole aboard, Brynn asked, "Are we ready to launch?"

"The other shuttles are secure, I think we have everyone."

He held his hand out and Liara took it, looking nervously upward at the sky even as she stepped aboard, Wrex and EDI on her heels.

"We are the last," the asari said. "Those fighters…?"

Cortez ducked back into the pilot's seat, securing the shuttle door and checking the scans. "They'll be on us in about sixty seconds," he warned. "C'mon, Shep, where are-"

A tiny blip suddenly zipped in, heading right for the fighters. Even as he noted it on his scan one of the fighters flared and vanished. "Holy cow, she doesn't fuck around," he gasped.

* * *

Fire and metal flared and Shepard whooped as the Sabre dashed right through the collapsing rain of former fighter. She spun the ship around, the thing lifting on end and whipping in an arc eerily reminiscent of that assassin's pirouetting leap. In a heartbeat she was around and bearing down again, her guns igniting even as the Cerberus fighters realized one of their number had been downed.

She stitched a tattoo along the flank of the nearest fighter, compromising its core and sending it into a smoking tailspin. Another had oriented enough to ignite its weapons, and she danced the Sabre through the rain of bullets as easily as slipping between a pair of curtains. Twirling, the edge of her wing sliced through the fighter's belly as she shot past, tearing it wide.

_Fuck, I think I'm in love_, she thought with a wild grin.

The other fighters had fully oriented on her now, her HI lighting as it registered the pursuit, lock-ons, and incoming fire. A flick of her thumb on the controls opened the radio channel.

"Fighters are on me! Shuttles, you should be clear for launch. Joker! Shuttles are heading your way!"

_{Understood. The frigate is dropping into lower orbit, Shepard…she's wounded pretty bad. Her guns are out so there should not be a direct threat to the shuttles.}_

Shepard let off a couple of shots back toward the fighters on her tail, teasing them more than anything. She lead them on a merry chase through the mountain peaks, waiting until Joker reported the shuttles had left atmo.

"That means fun-time is over, my friends," she cooed, driving her fighter down toward a deep valley. The Cerberus ships banked to follow.

Her fingers found the control for the swarm, and she pressed it. Her HI lit up with two dozen bright blue spheres as the small drones were released in a cloud behind her. Banking up and spinning the ship around again, Del locked her sights on one of the fighters, painting it as hostile.

Instantly, the zipping drones targeted her pursuers and darted in. Like rabid schools of piranha, they were all over the fighters, latching on to hulls and digging their way under metal plates.

Arcing upward, gaining more altitude, Shepard watched blast after blast tear apart the other ships, erasing them in gluts of fire and smoke.

"Woohoo!" she hollered. "Fighters are down! Fighters are…._fuck me_!"

One of the fighters, it seemed, hadn't kept up with the pack, and had been missed by the swarm. It had banked upward as she did, and even as she saw the incoming fire on her HI she felt the ship around her shudder, alarms of damage lighting up her displays.

_{Captain, are you all right?}_ Cortez's alarmed voice filled her ears. Cursing again as she was suddenly diving toward the mountain rather than heading for upper atmo, Shepard regained control of her rattled vessel and veered sharply to port, barely missing a dense crag of rock.

"I'm fine, bastard just grazed me and threw off my balance. Nothing compromised. Are the shuttles aboard?"

_{First ones are loading in now, Captain. Five minutes and all should be locked on board,}_ Joker replied, before Cortez interrupted.

_{Captain, we have a problem. The __**Normandy**__ can fit all shuttles aboard but once they're locked in, there'll be no more room for your fighter. We've got no way for you to dock.}_

"That's fine, Cortez. According to my read-outs this thing has several hours' worth of fuel. I'll be fine…I'll just tag along on _Normandy's_ flank until we've cleared the system and can unload the shuttles safely. First, I have to take care of this one last pest."

Her dogged pursuer was lagging behind again but staying firm on her tail as she wove through the craggy peaks. She was out of drones but her small guns could fire backward as well as forward.

"Pity I didn't get a chance to use the big gun this round," she said to the unhearing fighter following her. "But, I think you'll agree…using it for just _you_ would be a tad bit of _overkill_."

He sent a flare of shot her direction, and she easily avoided it before diving toward the spinning ground, looping upside down, and sailing up behind her comparatively lumbering prey.

"Then again-"

She hit the main gun, and a blaze of molten metal moving at incredible speeds consumed the fighter, smoldering debris sailing away.

"-_overkill _is my fucking middle name."


	30. Chapter 30

Whispering through the deep black of space at the _Normandy's_ flank, the HI display made it seem to Del that she was flying through the void, with nothing between her and the stars.

The sensation was both thrilling and alarming at the same time. For a moment, Shepard feared she might start to hyperventilate, her gut seeing only endless, star-filled depths in which she would fall for an eternity. Though her little green medication patch prevented active flashbacks, it did not erase memory. It could not obliterate the experience of her death, of hanging in the midst of cold space, alone in the eternal frozen silence, listening to the last of her air fading away.

Logic soon overcame mere physical reaction, however, and little time passed before she felt a calming peace…the type of peace that usually required her music, or Li's company, to enjoy.

_{Shepard, are you all right?}_ Liara's voice moved through the silence, and Del selected the response channel.

"I'm all right. A little dizzy. The view is…I can't even describe it."

_{According to Joker, we should be reaching the relay in about ten minutes. Once we're in range, he can drop the shuttles and dock your fighter, and then we will follow the shuttles through to the Citadel. Dr. Chakwas is on stand-by._}

"The refugees all ok?"

_{Everyone is fine. Minor injuries, but no loss of life. There is no sign of Cerberus pursuit.}_

"Good to know."

Sunlight flared over the sleek curve of the ship beside her, lighting up thin, nebulous gasses in a rainbow of reds, violets, golds and blues. "God, Tianlán…I wish you could see this."

_{So do I,}_ she replied gently. _{You can show me later, if you would like.}_

"A plan with no drawbacks," Del smiled. "All right. Let me know when I can dock. Much as I love this thing, lack of mass is making me a bit nauseous."

_{Yes, Dr. Archer mentioned to Helen that might be a side-effect. It is usually not so apparent in larger-scale fighters but combined with the transparent holographic illusion and the negation of most mass through the dark energy field-}_

"You end up feeling like you're going to lose your lunch," Del told her. "Yeah, makes sense. You feel this way when you use your biotics to lower your mass?"

_{Not usually. Of course, it is rarely done for any extended period of time, and I am not sailing through non-directional space as I am doing it.}_

"Well, I'd much rather have nausea from the inertial dampeners and low-mass fields than the alternative. Oh, one last thing, Li."

_{Yes?}_

"Please inform Dr. Archer that he is to provide EDI with all the plans to this prototype. I want to forward them to Admiral Hackett and to Wilcher at the Folly. Maybe we can get some more of these produced with VI pilots to help increase defenses against the Reapers. Let him know that _this_ prototype is also now officially mine."

_{If he protests?}_

"Make it abundantly clear that he would _probably_ prefer turning the plans over and helping the war effort in any way that he can, than spending the next few days in the brig before we drop him off somewhere on Menae. He doesn't want to help fight the Reapers with his technical know-how, he can fight them with a _gun_, the old fashioned way."

_{I shall impress his choices upon him,}_ Liara agreed. _{I will see you shortly, Del.}_

* * *

The last of the shuttles cleared the bay, thrusters firing as the pilot input locked on to the relay, activating it on course for the Citadel. As the giant relay flared and fired, sending the vehicle almost instantly across thousands of light years, the Sabre swung into view and eased through the barrier and into the _Normandy's_ hold.

Cortez, Liara, Chakwas, Adams, and Nan headed for the small fighter as it powered off, its canopy swinging open.

"She is a thing of beauty, isn't she?" Cortez admired the fighter approvingly, as Shepard started to push herself out of the cockpit. Unfortunately time and her position had done nothing for her wounded arm. The painkillers from her hard-suit had long since worn off and the limb buckled almost immediately as she pushed upward.

As she fumbled, Nan hurried up and caught hold of her. "Hang on, take it easy sweetie."

"Here we go," Helen added as she reached the side of the ship as well, helping grip hold of her.

"Head's spinning…"

"That's fairly typical with both blood loss and being suspended in an eezo field for too long," Chakwas told her. "Just sit up a moment, take deep breaths. Let me see that arm."

Del cocked her wounded arm out of the side of the fighter, seated upright now as Nan helped to unfasten her helmet. She drew it off with a grimace, noting the shattered face-plate, and handed it over to Liara.

"Well, you'll need surgery again," Helen said with a long-suffering sigh. "Your head steady?"

"Bit better."

"Then let's get you out and on your feet."

Supported by all five of them, Shepard managed to climb out of the small fighter and down to the deck. Liara stepped in under her arm, taking her weight, and Del gave her a weak smile.

"Hey, you."

"Hey yourself," Liara murmured.

"Let's get you up to the medi-bay. Surgery shouldn't take too long," Helen informed her.

"Joker, how long until we're docked at the Citadel?" Del called.

_{We just passed through the relay. Shuttles are already docking…I'm just waiting for clearance. We'll be locked in no more than five minutes, I think.}_

"How did Archer take my 'suggestions'?" she asked Liara as they crossed to the lift, Nan holding her free-elbow to steady her but allowing Liara to take the brunt of her weight.

The asari's faint grin was wry. "He was…less than pleased. However, when I outlined his alternatives, he became incredibly cooperative."

"I _bet_ he did." They reached the lift, and Shepard half-turned, looking back at Adams and Cortez as they looked over the fighter.

"Hey, you two! No drooling on my baby girl, ok? And I better not see any scratches on her when I get back."

"Your _baby girl_?" Liara asked with an uplifted brow. Shepard looked at her innocently.

"What?"

* * *

Shepard was in surgery only half an hour, but it would take a bit more time to sleep off the anesthetics. Not nearly as long as it would for any other human who had received the same dose, of course. Shepard's continued resistance to sedation was something that remained a source of much frustration for Dr. Chakwas, especially considering her tolerances only continued to increase.

"I'm worried," she'd confided to Nan before. "At the rate of her adaptations, there will come a time-probably not too far in the future- when no amount of anesthetic or sedative of _any_ kind will work on her."

If that happened, and Shepard ever became badly injured (pretty much a given for the stubborn captain), she would have to endure surgery and treatment whilst wide-awake. It was a torture that Helen wished on no one.

Out in the mess hall, Liara sat with a cup of tea and the thin remains of her lunch. Her eyes seemed far away, a fact that Nan noted as she sat down opposite the asari with her own tray.

"Sweetheart, you look so tired. Are you sleeping?"

"Oh…yes, thank you, Nan," Liara replied. "It is not as long as I would like, but I doubt anyone aboard is getting their true ration of rest. There is far too much work to do, endless reams of information-"

"A girlfriend who continues to try and get herself torn apart?"

"Yes…there is that as well," Liara agreed, stirring idly at food that wasn't really wanted any more.

"Is _she_ sleeping any better?" Nan asked gently. Liara looked at her, then shook her head.

"She does not think I notice, but she resists even going to sleep. When she does, she wakes repeatedly. She claims she is just restless, however…"

"…she's still having nightmares," Nan nodded. "She won't talk about them. She never did like discussing anything that seemed like weakness, the poor dear. Thinks she has to be so strong for everyone else. I'd hoped that she'd confide in _you_, at least."

"I wish she would. I am trying not to pry, but I can see how it is beginning to wear on her. She hides more and more of herself, even during our-…"

She broke off, coloring a little as she remembered she was discussing this with a woman who, more or less, was her love's mother. Asari were more liberal about talking about such things, but she knew that humans tended to be far more reserved, even considering some topics of discussion fairly taboo. She had no desire to make Na uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Nan was unruffled. She cocked an understanding smile, then sighed. "This war's got to end soon, honey. Not just for the people suffering and dying. I'm…well, to be honest, I'm afraid Del isn't going to make it out of this alive."

"I know," Liara agreed tremulously. "I do not like to admit it either, but the feeling is there…the _fear_. Not that she will throw herself into a situation that proves too much, or that she will sacrifice her life to save another. I know that she would and _will_ do these things without hesitation, but-"

"But it feels more like she's just going to come apart under the weight of everything landing on her head," Nan finished for her. Reaching across the table, she took Liara's hand. "I need you to listen to me now, child. I want you to listen close, ok?"

"Of course," Liara replied.

"That is _going_ to happen if Del doesn't get some help. She isn't ever going to ask for it. She's too stubborn for that. She'll never bend and she'll never fold…she'll keep on being strong until she up and snaps right in half. We can't let that happen. You need to _push_ her, Li. You need to _insist_ upon it. Help her whether or not she wants it, whether or not she asks. It might make her angry. In fact, I guarantee it will, but the only way through this is to out-stubborn her and damn well force her to admit she can't do this alone. Because she _can't_, darlin'. You know that as well as I do."

Liara knew that Nan had a very valid point. She was right. Shepard could not do this utterly alone. She was amazing in every sense of the word, but she was still as mortal as any of them. Throw enough weight on a tree, and however strong, it would eventually break.

She also knew that Shepard would never truly _ask_ for help. Her stubborn pride would insist she stand alone, sacrifice alone.

To _force_ help upon her, however…

_These are desperate times. Desperate steps need to be taken._

Stirring her tea, she nodded slightly. "I will do all I can, Nan. You know I will."

"I do, honey," Nancy agreed affectionately. "You are a God-send, you know that Li? I can't thank what powers may be enough for bringing you into Del's life."

Liara colored a little, bashful under the praise, then lifted her eyes to the human woman. "She…asked me to marry her, to be her bondmate."

Nan sat back, a hand plastering to her chest a moment, a look of such astonishment on her face that for a moment, Liara was afraid she was actually in medical distress.

"Nancy, are you all right?"

Nan flapped a hand a moment with a nod, before pressing her fingers to her lips. Tears welled in her eyes and she took a deep breath before she smiled. "Oh…_darling_, I-I can't tell you how happy hearing that makes me! What did you say? No, you don't need to tell me, I _know_ what you said."

"_Yes_, of course," Liara answered anyway.

Nan's hands shot out and gripped Liara's tightly. "When?"she asked eagerly.

"We are not sure yet," Liara replied. "It depends upon this war, I suppose. It is hard to take time out for a bonding ceremony when there is so much to do, so much relying upon us. I think we both still hope that the war can be resolved relatively quickly; that this weapon will work and the Reapers will be destroyed, or driven back into dark space, before too much time has passed. That is, of course, the ideal…if perhaps a foolish one."

"No ideal is foolish, sweetie. No hope is futile, and no dream is silly."

Liara smiled, ducking her head a little. "If you do not mind, please do not let anyone else know, not just yet. The crew needs to remain focused on our efforts, and until this mess with the genophage, at least, is concluded, that is where Del's mind needs to be focused also. Not on deck-side gossip."

"My lips are sealed, sweetie," Nan smiled.

* * *

"Let me guess. _No hitting shit_."

Del's smile was lopsided as she sat on the end of the bio-bed, one leg drawn up and the other hanging as she held her newly repaired arm out for the scan. Chakwas snorted.

"You've memorized the admonitions, now you only have to put them into practice," she teased.

"Yeah, we'll see how that works out."

"Well, regardless, you're good to go for now, Captain. It's going to be sore and angry for a little while, sort of like you."

"Ooh, ouch."

"Get some food into you and rest. I can tell just looking at you that you haven't been sleeping properly."

"Hard to sleep properly in the middle of a war, Helen, but I'll try."

Chakwas shook her head, heading away toward her desk. Shepard glanced to the side, to find both Eve and Mordin were staring at her.

"What?"

"Should listen to advice," Mordin noted. "No good to crew if wounded and exhausted."

"I got a job to do, Mordin," Shepard grumped, sliding off the bed. "There are souls all over this galaxy that are struggling from moment to moment just to stay _alive_. I'm hardly bad off because I can't catch a nap now and again. How are we doing on that cure?"

"Progressing at steady rate. Testing ongoing. Spent most of night on unraveling glandular alteration. Can start on Wrex's samples soon."

"Most of the night, huh? Seems I'm not the only one not sleeping."

"Faster metabolism. Only need one or two hours of rest, unlike humans."

"Oh yeah? And how long do krogans usually sleep, Eve?"

"What's sleep?" the female asked dryly, and Shepard had to blink before she realized she was joking.

"_Exactly._ How are you doing, Eve."

"I am enduring," she said. "It is far more comfortable here than on Sur'Kesh, or suffering in sickness on Tuchanka. Mordin and Dr. Chakwas have been treating me very well."

"Glad to hear it."

"Wrex speaks very highly of you, Captain," she said. "The stories he says about fighting with you, I am unsure if they are true or the usual masculine bragging."

"Depends. Was he talking about fighting _alongside_ me, or when we went fist to fist in a varren pit and kicked the shit out of each other?"

"So it was _not_ a fabrication?"

"No, it was real. _Painfully_ real."

"You're telling me, I had to patch you up afterward," Helen called out, betraying that she could hear their conversation.

"I have never heard of such a thing. I have not had much experience with humans, but from what I understood from tales-"

"We're supposed to be soft, yeah," Del nodded. "Give them a chance, Eve. Humans will surprise you every damn time."

"Shepard's declaration slightly misleading," Mordin broke in. "Humans surprising as a species, yes. Resilient. Fist to fist with krogan warlord, however…that is purely Shepard."

Del shot him a look.

"Hmm," Eve smirked. "I am glad, at any rate. That you are sympathetic to the krogan, if nothing else, Captain."

"Shepard," Del reminded her. "I am. I like your people quite a bit, Eve. I _am_ confused about something though."

"What is that?"

"Maelon was working with Clan Weyrloc. You are a native to Urdnot, aren't you? Isn't Weyrloc a rival?"

"Rivalries are the inventions of the males," Eve told her. "I went to Maelon in hope for a cure. Truth be told, if his plans had worked out and Weyrloc had received a working cure, the females of their clan would have seen it was distributed among _all_ the female clans, and thusly to all clans over Tuchanka. The Weyrloc Chief's idea of glory only for _his_ family was a delusion."

"He couldn't have stopped the females from distributing the cure?"

Eve laughed. "Considering the head of the female Clan of Weyrloc was Guld's own _mother_, and the only living soul he _actively_ feared…no. He could _not_ have stopped them. Like most males, however, he was incredibly boneheaded on the subject. The females understand at least that a cure is not a cure unless it is given to _all_ the krogan. We are one people, and we cannot rise unless we _all_ rise."

"Kind of sounds like Wrex's philosophy on uniting the clans."

"Wrex has some unusual ideas, and I would never tell him this, but he is the best hope our people have. If the genophage is cured, the female clans will unite completely under Urdnot, and the males will soon follow."

"He _is_ one of a kind."

"He is a mutation," Eve replied, then snorted. "And that I _will_ tell him."

Shepard chuckled, then glanced over as Mordin spoke. "Captain, have a guest."

Shepard glanced around to see Traynor had entered, saluting. Nodding politely at Eve, Shepard headed over. "Specialist?"

"Are you cleared for duty, ma'am?" she asked.

"Until I get shot or stabbed again," Del replied. "What have you got?"

"Commander Williams has requested you come down to Huerta Memorial. Apparently they are discharging her this afternoon and she wished to speak to you before that. Ms. Navis is also requesting to speak with you, she's down in the cargo bay."

"Understood. Thank you."

"Good to see you're all right, ma'am."

"A _lot_ of people are all right, thanks to you finding that lead. We got some bright minds and some cutting-edge tech that will now be on _our_ side and _not_ the enemy's. Good work, Traynor."

"Thank you, ma'am. I do think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Well, you keep up what you're doing and you just might win this war for us," Del told her as she stepped past and headed out the door.

* * *

"Good afternoon ladies," Allers greeted with a wide smile as she stopped by Nan and Liara's table. Cradled in her hands was a tray of food, and the smile she had donned could be described as nothing less than angelic. "Mind if I join you?"

Liara, who'd had little to no interaction with the reporter thus far, blinked at her a moment before looking at Nan. "I do not mind," she said.

"By all means," Nan grinned, scooting over. "Have a sit."

"Thank you." Depositing her tray on the table, Allers sat down beside Nan. "We haven't had a chance to talk yet. I'm Diana Allers, with the Alliance News Network. Captain Shepard was gracious enough to allow me to stay on board so long as I didn't interfere in ship business or make myself too much of a pest so…please, let me know if I'm pestering you. The _last_ thing I want is her wrath coming down upon me."

"Oh, don't you worry about that, you're no trouble at all," the older woman reassured. "I'm Nancy Salgado, this is Dr. Liara-"

"T'Soni, I know. Such a pleasure to meet you, Doctor," she offered her hand across the table. "You're nearly as famous as the captain."

"I am?" Liara blinked, even as she took the hand and shook it.

"Of course! Part of Shepard's crew since the beginning, you were with her on the Citadel and helped turn back the geth attack…not to mention that iconic vid of you and the crew saluting the Matriarch's casket. There is also, of course, the rumored _relationship_ between you and the captain."

"I see."

"Don't worry," Allers reassured. "I'm not about digging up dirt or gossip. I'm about helping to win this war, as much as anyone else here. The more people we can get informed and behind the effort the better off we'll all be."

"I think we can all agree on that," Nan nodded. Allers smiled at her.

"So, I must admit Ms. Salgado, I am a bit confused. I've got conflicting information about you in particular. I thought Shepard was an orphan but some scuttlebutt says that you are, actually, her mother?"

"Oh, no…not in a biological sense," Nan replied. "I love her like a daughter, it's true, but she didn't come into my life until she was nearly a teenager."

"I see. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a registered nurse…well, _was_. I was retired before all this mess began. I help Dr. Chakwas in the medi-bay."

"So you're a civilian medical nurse," Allers nodded. "Pressed back into duty?"

"No, not medical. Psychiatric, though I do have _some_ medical expertise."

"_Psychiatric_, really," Allers' brows shot up. "Anything we should be concerned about with the Captain?"

"Is this an official interview?" Liara interrupted. Allers blinked, looking back at her.

"No, of course not," she said. "Just a friendly chat. I like to get to know people. This is strictly off the record, I assure you. I just noticed that Captain Shepard seemed a bit…_exhausted._ Believe me, I want her in top fighting shape the same as anyone else here."

"Well, it's kind of you to be concerned," Nancy told her, "but if you want more privileged information regarding Captain Shepard you're going to have to ask her yourself."

"Of course. Sorry about that. I suppose I never quite put aside the reporter. I didn't mean to be improprietous."

"Quite all right," Nan told her, then straightened as Liara's eyes shifted toward the medi-bay, looking over her shoulder.

"Enjoying lunch?" Shepard asked as she walked over, smiling with reservation at the three women. Nan got to her feet, moving to intercept.

"Del! Did Dr. Chakwas clear you?"

"Yes, Nan, I promise. I'm being a good girl," Shepard smirked. "It was just soft-tissue. Got the usual. No hitting things, try not to get stabbed…that sort of thing."

"Yes, well…knowing _you_, sweetie, it went in one ear and out the other," Nan told her. "Come, sit down. You need to eat."

"I'll eat in a bit, I promise. Navis wants to see me downstairs and I need to meet with Ash at the hospital-"

"See Navis, but you can spare time to eat before you leave to go gallivanting around the Citadel. I'm sure Ash won't begrudge you that."

Del nodded with long-suffering affection. "Yes, ma'am. I'll do that."

"Shepard, if I might speak to you a moment?" Liara noted as she rose from her seat, then nodded to Salgado. "Nan, it was good to speak to you again. Ms. Allers."

"Dr. T'Soni," Allers nodded politely. Joining Shepard as she stepped around the lift, Liara waited until they were along before speaking.

"Are you sure you are all right?" she asked, touching the hard plastic bandage still surrounding Del's forearm. Shepard nodded, looking at the casing as if seeing it for the first time.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Tianlán," she said. "Hardly anything even worth writing home about."

Liara nodded, then took her hand, lightly holding her fingers. "I will not delay you, I know how busy you are, and I have much I need to attend to as well. However we do need to speak at length, sometime soon."

"I was sort of hoping you'd come with me to see Ash," Shepard told her.

"I would love to, but I have been neglecting my information network too long as it is. I cannot risk that potential intel and resources are slipping past right under our noses. Glyph is a great help, but I have to catch up at least a little. Tonight? In the Nest perhaps?"

"Tonight," Shepard nodded. "1900."

Liara smiled softly, in that way that made her look so much like the shy little archaeologist that Shepard had rescued on Therum. Bending, Del kissed her cheek, lingering a moment before reluctantly stepping back, turning and stepping on to the lift.

Liara watched her go, unconsciously touching her cheek as unrest moved through her blue eyes. Tonight she would do her best to help her love, whether or not Del _wanted_ that help. She just hoped that her efforts wouldn't destroy everything they had together.

* * *

As the _Normandy_ was docked, the loading door for the cargo bay was standing open, allowing supplies and equipment to be more easily moved on board. The mild bustle moved around the asari and the casket she stood beside like water flowing around a rock…a flow borne both from respectful sympathy as well as awkward unease.

Del nodded briefly to Cortez before she headed up, gently touching Navis's arm. The asari, eyes fixed to the casket, jumped slightly in surprise. As her eyes shot to Shepard, Del couldn't help notice that the maiden seemed to have aged a bit, her gaze darker and slightly unfocused.

"Oh! Shepard, I am…I did not hear you-"

"It's all right," Del said gently. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I was just thinking so hard, I suppose. Lost in my own mind. Seems it happens a bit too easily of late. I am sorry-"

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Shepard told her. "I completely understand."

Deirdre regarded the silent casket again, her fingertips lightly touching its surface. "I wanted you to know I have made arrangements with a vessel travelling to Thessia," she said. "Specialist Traynor was extremely helpful in securing passage."

"Is that where you're taking her? Thessia?" Shepard asked softly.

"She only visited it twice with me," Navis murmured. "Only twice, but she loved it there. Thought it was so beautiful. I cannot return her to Earth, not with the state of things. I cannot imagine her simply being…_disposed_ of, as if she were trash-and the idea of her drifting eternally in the cold of space…"

Del put her hand on Deirdre's shoulder, nodding in understanding. Seeing the tears in Navis's eyes, she said, "She'd want us to be strong."

"The only reason I have to be strong right now is our daughter," Navis said in a low, stern voice. "If it were not for her, I do not know that I could…"

"Deeds," Shepard whispered, brows knitting worriedly.

"If you lost Liara…"

"I don't know what I would do," Del admitted. Giving her shoulder a squeeze, Shepard dropped her hand and rubbed the back of her neck. "Thessia…"

She did not begrudge Navis taking Sydney there. She was right. It was better than the alternatives, and she knew that Syd would want to be as near to Deeds and their child as possible. It was the fact that she couldn't go with them, couldn't even attend her best friend's funeral, that stabbed at her gut.

Navis looked at her sadly, and Del nodded. "I think she'd be happy there. I _know_ she'd be happy anywhere you were, Deeds. I just wish I could go with you."

"She loved you, you know," Navis told her quietly. "You were like a sister to her, Del. There was nothing she would not do for you."

"I know," Del said roughly. "You take care of yourself, Navis. You and that little bean of yours, ok? You stay on Thessia and you stay _safe_, ok?"

"I will," Deirdre promised. "I know that you will stop this war before the Reapers get that far, Del. I know that one day, this galaxy will have peace…and it will be because of you. When the fighting is over, you and Li will come to visit us. Daenys will need other little asari to play with, after all."

Del felt a warmth pass over her face, and hoped to God she wasn't actually blushing. Clearing her throat, she nodded. "We will. You stay in touch, ok? Do you need any help?"

"I have porters coming to move our things over to the transport," Navis reassured. "I will be fine. _We_ will be fine."

Abruptly, she hugged Shepard tight, closing her eyes against the seeming endless flood of damp. Wordlessly she released her, self-consciously wiping her cheeks. "Thank you for everything, Captain."

"It's not enough, Deirdre," Shepard murmured. "I'll stay with you until the porters come."

"There is no need. I know you are quite incredibly busy-"

"I will _stay_ with you until the porters come," Del insisted kindly. Navis lowered her head and nodded, and Del wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close as both bid a silent good-bye, each worried and wondering just how final a good-bye it would be.


	31. Chapter 31

Though she was still in uniform, Shepard trailed a cloud of cigar smoke behind her as she strode through the halls of the Citadel. Rules, regulations and appearances be damned. Her best friend had died, she was trying to broker peace with half a dozen races that hated each other, she was fairly sure she was losing her mind, and she'd been stabbed by a weird human hybrid-thing on a snow-covered rooftop. If she'd ever needed a smoke it was right now, and _fuck_ the regulations.

Even her obstinance had its limits, however, and she was careful to remove her cigar and snuff it before actually setting foot in the hospital.

Things had only gotten worse since her last visit, and it had only been a few days. The waiting rooms and corridors were crowded with patients, harried doctors, nurses, medics and surgeons rushed everywhere in an only slightly controlled chaos.

Weaving through the clusters of bodies, gurneys and equipment banks, Del finally got to Ash's room to find the door standing open. Ash stood within, only faint traces of yellows and browns marking her face and betraying the horrendous bruises that had been there before. She was dressed, almost gingerly pulling on a small jacket. Del leaned on the door and smirked.

"Trying to escape before I actually got here, huh?"

To Ash's credit, she neither startled nor seemed even remotely surprised. "Anything to avoid seeing your ugly mug again."

"Mine? _Yours_ is the one that looks like a Venetian sunrise," Del snorted with a smirk.

Ash gave her a smile, straightening her jacket a little. "Thanks for coming, Skipper. Even after our talk, I wasn't entirely sure you would."

"Hey, we're good, remember?" Shepard told her.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, then straightened a little. "I decided to take Udina's offer. I'm…going to be a Spectre, Shepard."

Del gave her a genuine grin. "That's great, Ash. I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks. The induction is in an hour. I was hoping- you know, if you weren't too busy saving the galaxy-that you'd be there."

"Of course I'll be there," Shepard replied. "I wouldn't dream of missing it."

"That means a lot to me, Shepard."

They made small talk as Williams checked out of the hospital. Shepard noticed that, despite the idle chatter, Ash's eyes kept moving over the lines of clustered patients, the weary doctors. It was a hard thing for a marine to see. Every marine was engrained with one simple truth: you protect the civilians. That was the whole point of the job…to keep the ugly away from people like this, so they could live and raise their families in peace and safety.

"Shepard!"

The call over the din drew her attention, and she looked over to see Jacob approaching. Smiling, she took the man's offered hand as he got to her side.

"Jacob, I see you got all patched up."

"Yeah, good as new. Last of our wounded are winding up treatment. Would have been a hell of a lot worse if you hadn't shown up when you did. And that dogfight? _Hardcore_."

"I do my best. Jacob, this is Commander Ashley Williams, an old friend of mine. Ash, this is Jacob Taylor. He worked with me on…well, during the Collector attacks."

Though she and Ash had reconciled, she didn't want to push matters by mentioning the word 'Cerberus'. Jacob may no longer be part of the organization, but emotions surrounding it were still far too high.

Of course, Ash was no fool, and the chances she didn't know immediately how Shepard knew Jacob were absolutely zero. Still, she said nothing, and even managed a polite smile as she nodded to him.

"Nice to meet you," Jacob told her. "Listen, Shepard…I won't keep you. I did want to share some news, though. If I didn't share it with someone, I think I'd probably pop."

"What is it?"

"Well, Brynn and I…that is to say, we…uh…"

He seemed uncharacteristically flustered. Shepard lifted a brow. "You and Brynn…?" she pressed.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping as a smile spread on his face. "I'm going to be a father."

"_Wow_, congratulations!" Shepard blurted, surprised.

"Thanks. We just found out when she did the scan for the bump she got on her head. I'm still…it still seems surreal. Makes me happier than I can say, but at the same time…"

"Scared shitless," Ashley nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, the middle of this war, the future of _everything_ in the balance. Puts us on shaky ground, you know?"

"I understand," Del replied. "Regardless of what happens though, I know you'll make an excellent father, Jacob."

"Better than my old man, at any rate, right?" he shook his head. "Well, I really don't want to keep you. Just…thanks, Shepard. For everything you've done for us. We make it through all this mess alive and we're going to have one hell of a party, all right?"

"You got it."

* * *

"How's Li?"Ash asked after they'd left the hospital, heading toward the Council tower.

"She's all right," Del told her.

"You two, uh…decide to make anything official?"

Shepard eyed her friend a moment, keeping her face blank. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know. Just seems everywhere I turn people are either getting married or having babies. It's like something's in the water. My younger sister Sarah is here, did I tell you? She's meeting us at the chambers. She actually cried when I told her I was going to be a Spectre."

"No, you didn't tell me. I'd love to meet her. Honestly, the way you go on about your sisters I almost feel like I know her already."

"Yeah," Ash smirked. "I never shut up about my family, do I? Anyway, I just found out she got married too. Spur of the moment thing. He was going to be shipped off to duty and she wanted to get it done."

"He's in the Alliance?"

"Yes. Worries me, Shepard. These days the worst job to have is in the military. I'm afraid she's going to get her heart broken. A widow before she's even had her honeymoon…doesn't seem fair."

"No, it doesn't," Del agreed softly. "Nothing about this war is fair."

"So you never answered my question," Ash repeated, lightly nudging an elbow into Del's upper arm. "You and Li?"

Shepard smirked a little, then lowered her head. "I asked. She said yes."

"That's fantastic!"

"Yeah. Don't think it's going to happen any time soon though. Not until this war is over."

"Too much to do and too little time," Ash murmured in understanding.

"What about you, Ash?" Shepard prodded, deftly turning the uncomfortable spotlight off of her and onto her friend. "We haven't talked in a long time. You been bit by the bug, or are you still a hardened loner?"

"_Me,_ the hardened loner?" Ash laughed. "Do I need to remind you of the way _you_ were before you met Liara?"

"Uh huh. Is that a bit of a blush I see around your cheeks, LC? Is your deflection of _my_ deflection indicative of something? Has some dashing man stolen your heart?"

"Shepard…" Ash groaned.

"Or woman?"

"_Shepard_!" Ash barked, then laughed. "Jesus, I liked you better when you were _dead_."

"Give."

"Who'd have thought the great Captain Shepard, first human Spectre and badass of the galaxy would be such a nosey busybody!"

"Don't make me pull rank, LC. You're not a Spectre just _yet_."

"What makes you think I'm not just married to my work?" Ash asked, unintmidated, as they stepped aboard the tower lift.

"Well, the fact that instead of just saying 'no, I'm married to my work', you continue to dance around actually _giving_ me an answer," Shepard pointed out. Ash gave her a dry look, then sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose."

"His name is David," she said at last. Shepard beamed in triumph.

"Wow, you're ambitious, going after Anderson like that," she teased. "Isn't he a bit old for you?"

"_God_, you're insufferable," Ash huffed, lightly punching Del's arm. "Of course it isn't Anderson!"

"Let me guess. Big, bulky, Special Forces brute with muscles on his nostrils?"

"No, unfortunately, _you_ were taken," Ash snorted.

"Ooh, nice one LC. So, what branch is he in? Marines? Infantry? I bet he's-"

"He's a landscaper."

"A what?" Del blinked in shock. When Ash gave her a look, she just shrugged. "Nothing wrong with it, I'm just shocked you'd go with a civvie, that's all. You're as hardcore military as they come. Where'd you meet?"

"I was on shore leave, just over a year ago," she said. "Bumped into him by accident- _literally_. Nearly knocked each other over. We just kind of…_clicked_. I don't…I don't even know if he's alive right now."

"Shit, Ash…he was on Earth?"

"Vancouver," she said. "I tried to call him when we were evacing. Couldn't get through. Still haven't been able to reach him."

"I'm sorry," Del said softly. "Fuck. Hey, if he's the kind of guy that can handle someone like you, that means he's tough, right? Tough and smart. I'm sure he's alive."

"That's kind of you to say, Skipper. I guess I'll have access to all sorts of classified materials as a Spectre, right? I can look out for him, see if I can't track him down somehow."

"I'll look too," Del promised. "Heck, if _Liara_ can't find him he can't be found. You said his name was David?"

"Yeah," Ashley told her as the lift halted, the doors sliding open. "David Tepper."

* * *

Shepard was surprised at the amount of people that were gathered for the induction. Though hers had drawn a small crowd, there had been little to no preparation for it. Clearly, Ash's had been given enough advance warning to draw quite a lot of attention.

Council security saw to it that the media, at least, was barred from actually entering the main chambers, but both Shepard and Ash were accosted with hover cams and shouted questions from the throng waiting just outside. Del ignored them by virtue of the fact that, if she did _not_, she'd end up killing someone…and that would just make her day harder.

Ashley ignored them for other reasons. With her mind on what was about to happen, it was questionable that she even noticed the clamor.

The din died only a little as they were ushered inside and the great doors were closed. A crowd of a different sort waited here…ambassadors, dignitaries, the random curious who were rich and/or influential enough to merit entrance. This group was perhaps more polite, but the combined weight of their measuring gaze was still disconcerting.

"There she is," Ash murmured to Shepard as her eyes sought over the crowd, and then landed. "That's Sarah."

Shepard sought out where Ash was looking and lifted a brow. The young woman heading their direction had brilliant red hair and pale skin…a stark contrast to Ash's far darker features.

Obviously her startlement was something that happened often, for Ash almost immediately told her, "Yeah, I know. We don't look anything alike. I take after Dad. So did Abby and Lynn. Sarah is all Mom. Boy, was _she_ happy when Sar popped out with that red hair."

"Ash!" The girl beamed a thousand-watt smile as she hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so excited! Did you see all those reporters?"

"Did my best to tune them out," Ash admitted. "Sarah, this is Captain-"

"_Shepard_! My God, to think I'm standing right here not two feet away from…it's an _honor_ to meet you ma'am. A _complete_ honor. Ash has said so much about you."

Shepard smiled with baffled amusement. "It's good to meet you too."

"I think I'd better get up front," Ash told them. "I'll see you guys in a little while."

"Good luck," Sarah urged, ducking in and giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek. As Williams headed toward the promontory and the waiting Council, Sarah grasped Del's arm, watching her sister go.

"Is it wrong that I'm scared to death?" she confided.

"Why would you be frightened?" Shepard asked.

"Ash means everything to my family. Ever since Dad died, she's been the glue that held us together. Being hurt like she was, this war…and now becoming a Spectre? It's dangerous stuff, and only getting _more_ dangerous."

"Ash is a dedicated soldier and an incredible fighter, not to mention _impossibly_ stubborn," Shepard responded. "If anyone will survive this war, you can bet it will be her."

"Funny, she says the same thing about _you,_" Sarah replied. "Just…if you can do me a favor? Keep an eye out for her. She's always so busy keeping an eye out for us and…well, it would make me feel better."

"Sarah, if it is at all within my power, I would never let Ash come to harm. You can take that to the bank."

"Thank you. I know that things happen that are out of our control, but it's reassuring to hear you say it anyway."

* * *

The ceremony, though less rushed, was much as Shepard remembered. She stood at the flank of those gathered, watching and listening in silence beside Sarah.

In truth, she was hardly paying attention, her thoughts instead on Ash herself and how far she had come since they'd met.

Her talents had been wasted before she came aboard the _Normandy_, the woman given shit assignments again and again regardless of her efforts or accomplishments, simply because of her family name. She had been mistrustful of aliens, yet her friendships with Garrus, Tali, and Liara had helped to open her mind. Now, here she was…the second human Spectre. She had overcome her grandfather's stigma, her own self-doubts, and- as Shepard always suspected she would if just given half a chance-she had blossomed beyond belief.

_I understand why the damn ignorant aliens wouldn't give her a chance until now, but you'd think humans would have been a bit less dense about the issue-_

Shepard felt her body stiffen as she realized what she'd just thought, her eyes widening slightly. Noticing Sarah was completely fixed on her sister, she edged away from her and retreated back through the crowd a little, trying to wrap her head around it.

_I'm just tired, that's all. I have a headache from beating my skull repeatedly against those who just don't want to listen…unfortunately, a __**lot**__ of them happen to be of other species. That's all it is. Exhausted frustration, nothing more._

Remaining toward the back of the hall she fixed her attention onto the ceremony again, not allowing her mind to wander as it had before. As it reached its conclusion, she had all but forgotten that brief albeit alarming thought, and had refocused.

"Congratulations," a voice beside her spoke. Shepard glanced around at the tall salarian standing nearby, puzzled.

"Why are you congratulating _me_? I'm not the one up there today."

"Two reasons. First, didn't get a chance to congratulate you when you _were_. Second, congratulations for species. You a Spectre- big step, Williams a Spectre- solidifies step, locks it in minds and hearts. Humanity should be proud."

"Well, _I'm_ proud of her at least," Shepard agreed. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"No, sorry. Manners lacking. Jondum Bau, at your service. I am a Spectre as well."

"Yes, I think I heard your name recently. Del Shepard. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure all mine. Surprised you have heard my name. You are the famous one."

"_In_famous," Shepard corrected bitterly. "And not by choice."

"Yes, unfortunate aspect of life…most of it is out of our control."

"Ain't that the fuckin' truth."

The ceremony had ended, but Ash had been swamped by those gathered, all wishing to offer congratulations. Shepard had no desire to force her way through the crowd, and simply remained where she was, watching.

"Did have a favor to ask of you," Bau said after a long moment. "At your discretion, understand you are busy."

"Incredibly so, but that's never stopped me before. What is it?"

"Just caution for now, might be active favor later. Understand hanar are unwilling to commit to unity against Reaper forces?"

"They're pretty adamant about staying neutral," Shepard nodded.

"And so my caution. _Stay alert_. Have no proof yet, but…disquieting rumors. Hanar may not be so neutral as you hope."

Instantly he had her undivided attention. "Not so neutral? What do you mean? Are the Hanar indoctrinated?"

He held up his hands. "As species, no, no…not implying that. As I said, no solid proof, but have come across troubling stories, occasional documents and intel suggesting that- while not indoctrinated- some higher-ups may be…_sympathetic_."

"Sympathetic to the _Reapers_? And they're _not_ indoctrinated?"

"No evidence to suggest so. No evidence to suggest _not_. Speculation, trends, rumors. Too many to discount, too few to make concrete assumption. Would be lax if I did not at least inform you. If untrue, caution would not harm. If true…"

"Caution could make all the difference. Yeah, I get you. Listen, Bau…if you _do_ come upon that concrete proof-"

"Will notify you immediately, of course. As well as the Council and all interested parties, if discretion allows."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

The crowd eased a bit and Ash and her sister were able to free themselves. As they approached Shepard, Bau nodded his head and politely retreated.

Sarah offered to buy both Ashley and Shepard dinner in celebration, but Del had to decline. Much as she would have loved to go, there were still so many things demanding her attention, and the _Normandy_ could not remain idle at the Citadel any great length of time. Both women understood, and Del bid her goodbyes and congratulations before leaving the Chamber.

The mob of reporters had not waned…in fact, they seemed to have reproduced. Wading through the chaos with a few stern 'no comments', Shepard managed to reach the lift, the doors sliding closed and imparting a blessed silence.

She thought she was free and clear, but as the lift reached the ground floor and opened again, there stood a woman and her hover-cam, blocking her way. Shepard realized with an internal groan just who it was.

Kalisah al-Jilani.

"No comment," she growled automatically as she stepped around the woman and tried to walk away. al-Jilani, as always, would not be easily thwarted.

"Captain Shepard!" she demanded with a firm dart into Del's path.

"Listen, al-Jilani, I have _no comment_. Go spread your lies about someone else, don't-"

"How do you justify leaving Earth when so many are suffering?" al-Jilani spat. Del glared at her before she realized there was something other than the usual superior, smug pride in the woman's face. She was genuinely angry, genuinely emotional.

"I di-"

"Shouldn't you be _fighting_? You abandon Earth, you abandon your people to be _slaughtered_ in the streets? How can you even begin to _justify this_!"

"Hey, Kalisah…" Shepard reached out, and the reporter actually flinched back, steeling as if she expected to be hit. Instead, shock crossed her face as Del only rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You have family on Earth?" Shepard asked gently. Al-Jilani looked at her a long moment, as if trying to figure out if this was a trap, before she swallowed.

"A brother," she admitted in a soft, rough voice. "My father. They lived in New York. I was here when the news of the attack came. They showed the pictures…all the bodies in the streets, the ruin. I haven't been able to reach them."

"I understand, and I'm sorry," Shepard told her. "You may not believe that, but I _am_ sorry. It tore my guts out having to leave and not fight…it's _still_ tearing my guts out. I can promise you _this_ though, Kalisah. I _am_ going back to Earth. When I _do_, I'm going to have _every_ fleet of _every_ species from here to the Rim along with me, and we are going to tear the Reapers apart. Staying would have accomplished nothing but more death. I left to find hope, to bring _help_. That's what I'm doing, that's what I'm going to _keep_ on doing until this war is won. But I need your _help_. People have to have hope, have a reason to fight. Tell them the Alliance hasn't forgotten them. Tell them that I am coming home for them and I will kill each and every Reaper if I have to do it with my bare hands."

The reporter looked thunderstruck, staring at Del a long moment before she cleared her throat, glancing away. "Listen…I know that we haven't always seen eye to eye, Shepard, but I do know one thing. I am glad that you are on our side in this. Maybe we can win this war…maybe we can't. I know that we don't stand any chance at _all_ without…well. _You_."

She actually looked physically uncomfortable saying this, but the fact she _said_ it spoke more volumes than the actual words.

"Thank you," Del told her. "I will do everything I can. You do everything you can too. Give people hope. Report our victories. Get needed information out there. The more we can communicate, the better our chances will be."

* * *

Black as night, shiny eyes flashed once in a blink so rapid it was gone again before the motion was registered. Ahead of him in the crowd, he could see the uniformed back of the human woman as she strode through the teeming masses, heading toward the docking area.

Deft and smooth as any dancer, he weaved his own way after her, moving so precisely even his clothing never brushed against those of the passers-by, close packed as they were.

The human woman kept on, an easy target to follow, the streak of silver in her otherwise black hair as good as waving a flag.

Then she deviated, changing her course for the docks and moving toward the less crowded marketplaces that lead into the Wards. Only a few paces behind now, he was unsurprised as she turned abruptly, grabbing his shoulder and slamming him ungracefully against one wall.

"Hello, Shepard," he greeted.

"Hello, Thane," she smiled. "What brings you?"

"You are being followed," he told her.

"Yeah, I know. I just caught you."

"Had I not wanted to be seen, you would not have seen me," he replied, shrugging off her loose grip and straightening. "And you did not see your more _intent_ pursuer. Stand over at that kiosk, quickly. Pretend you are shopping. I will signal you when I have him."

Without further word of explanation, the drell assassin stepped away and seemed to vanish.

* * *

Scowling a little, Del did as she was told, and turned to the kiosk, accessing it and drawing up its inventory list. She filed through it idly for a moment, before something caught her eye. The subtlest movement in the distance, at the entrance to the markets. By the time she looked up, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Only moments later her omni-tool buzzed.

_{I have him. I'm in the alley.}_

Immediately abandoning the kiosk, Shepard headed for the alley. At the far end, Thane had a rather craggy looking batarian pinned face-first against the wall.

"You know him?" Thane asked as Del scrutinized his captive.

"No, doesn't look familiar."

"As if _you'd_ know," the batarian growled. "Don't we all look alike to you?"

"Not really," Del said dryly, folding her arms. "Some of you look a lot more like _assholes_ than the others."

"Fuck you!"

"Why were you following Shepard?" Thane demanded.

"I like her ass," the batarian growled sarcastically.

"Well, it _is_ a nice ass," Shepard replied with a smirk.

"Who do you work for?" Thane asked.

"No one! It's not against the law to follow someone!"

"He armed?" Shepard asked, then moved forward as Thane pulled the batarian upright. Swiftly and clinically, Del began to frisk him while Thane continued to restrain his arms.

"Get your hands off me," the batarian threatened.

"Aww, just sixty seconds ago you claimed you were following me because you liked my ass. This should be a _thrill_ for you."

"Fuck you. I'm not armed."

She finished the frisk only to find that he'd spoken the truth…about _that_ at least. He didn't so much as have a toothpick on him.

"Why were you following me?"

"Fuck you."

Meeting Thane's eyes a moment, she caught the batarian as the drell thrust him forward. Whipping him around, she slammed him against the wall again, his shoulders and back hitting hard enough that his air belched out painfully.

"Let me _rephrase_ that," she hissed. "Why were you following me?"

"I wanted to see the woman responsible for the death of my _people_," he snarled back.

"I didn't kill your people!" she spat. "The Reapers did!"

"You killed everyone on Aratoht! You left the rest of batarian space helpless while the Reapers just poured in and wiped everyone out!"

"You think I could have helped? One ship against thousands of Reapers and their weapons?"

"You could have _tried_!"

"Fuck you, you don't know me," she raged. "Fucking four-eyed frogspawn alien bastard, you don't know the slightest thing _about me_!"

"Shepard," Thane spoke softly, but his tone was one of alarm. Glaring, Del turned and half threw the batarian away from her, sending him stumbling toward the entrance to the alleyway.

"Get the _fuck_ out of here," she ordered. "If I see your face again, I'll put my fist through it."

The batarian retreated, vanishing again into the main marketplace. Shepard glared at him until he'd disappeared, then lifted her right hand, slowly unclenching the tight fist it was in.

She regarded the faint gouges in her palms from her nails almost distantly, not blinking until Thane spoke.

"Shepard, are you well?"

"I'm fine, Thane," she answered. "I'm just…I'm just tired, and pissed."

"I have heard you tired and pissed before, and you have never-"

"_Thane_," she warned, and he nodded, but the concern remained on his face. She cracked her neck lightly, then sighed. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you'd gone home to Kahje."

"No," he told her. "I am receiving medical attention at Huerta. My disease…has gotten significantly worse."

She looked at him, the tense lines in her face smoothing into sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"There is no need to be. I have made my peace, been reunited with my son. He visits frequently. I have had a good life, and I am content at its end. Though worried…about friends."

"Don't waste your worry on me, Thane," Shepard murmured.

He was silent a moment, before he spoke softly. "I remember a conversation that I had with young Tali. She had asked why I called you 'Siha'. Do you recall?"

She measured him with uncertainty. "I vaguely do."

"I told her: 'The Goddess Arashu has many warrior angels. Siha is the name of the one that leads them. She is fierce in wrath, a tenacious protector. In legend, it is said that at the End of Days, the Void will release its plague upon all that live. When this time comes, the angel Siha will sacrifice all, even her immortality, to battle this plague and drive it back into the Void.' When I told her this, Tali asked me if that meant I believed _you_ were actually Siha."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her not literally, that I merely saw parallels with you and the legends. The Reapers are a plague from dark space, the Void, that consume all in their path."

"I'm not a fucking angel."

"Angels rarely see themselves as such," he told her. "Whether or not _you_ believe it is irrelevant. I did not believe it either at the time. My encroaching death has…somewhat changed my perspective. Whether or not you are actually this angel or not doesn't matter in the end. Perhaps I just recite stories that bring me understandable comfort in the face of the unknown. The fact is, I know that you would sacrifice anything and everything to defeat the Reapers, and that includes your own soul. I can see the marks of those sacrifices already upon you, yet so much more will be asked before this is done."

Shepard looked at the faint gouges in her palm and shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I'll give anything and everything I can to stop the Reapers."

"If that price is your own life? Your immortal spirit?"

"Yes," she glared.

"How about your shipmates? Your friends? If their deaths would secure the end of this war, would you order them?"

"Yes," she said roughly.

"Even Tali's?"

"Fuck you Thane."

"Even Liara's?"

"_FUCK YOU THANE_," she bellowed.

He looked nonplussed, but oddly weary. He only nodded at her fury, then spoke quietly. "Then we have our answer. I must return to the hospital. My stays there will be more and more frequent so if you'd like to talk again later, you know where to find me."

She said nothing as he stepped around her and left the alley, her eyes only closing the moment he had vanished from sight.

Her hand had fisted once more.


	32. Chapter 32

Liara reached the Nest before Shepard, the silence unbroken save the faintest bubble from the huge tank dominating the wall. Silently she regarded the slowly drifting forms within, trying to center herself.

_This time, it is Shepard that needs you to be strong. This will not be easy._

Turning from the tank, Liara moved further into the office area. Though she had been in the Nest numerous times before, she took the distraction of looking at Del's various knickknacks to keep her mind off the coming conversation.

Shepard was more or less neat and relatively Spartan. Being a marine and used to being moved around, she had little in the way of personal possessions and did not leave much clutter. Her booze and her extra cigars were tucked away neatly, and only two frames marked her otherwise empty desk.

The first held a child's crayon drawing; the only remnant of Paul that Shepard kept. Though they could not be seen, scrawled along the back of the drawing were the names of everyone who had died under Shepard's command, people she felt she had failed. Liara had no doubt that Sydney's name was there in fresh ink, under Kaidan Alenko's.

Liara gently picked up the second frame, her eyes softening as she regarded the picture. It was the final one they had taken together, moments before the Collectors had attacked. They lay side by side on Del's bed, heads close together. Liara was smiling, Del holding only a half-smile…lopsided and charming as it was.

_We both look so much younger_, she thought, lightly touching the image of Del's face_. It was not so long ago, but we look almost as children._

She wondered a moment what their life would have been like had the Collectors not assailed the _Normandy_ that fateful day. If there had been no Collectors, no Reapers, no Saren, no threat of galactic extinction.

_That is simple. You would be in some dusty old dig alone somewhere, cataloguing and extrapolating and surmising about an ancient civilization millennia dead. Del would be on some assignment or other. We would both be alone. We never would have met._

Horrible as it was, the threat of the Reapers had been what brought them together. Without it, perhaps there would not be all this pain and suffering, but the peace would only have brought tedium and loneliness to them both.

_A life without Del. I cannot imagine it. I do not even want to try._

Yet she might be facing it. In trying to help Shepard she may only succeed in pushing her permanently away. She might lose her for good.

_You have to try. You know that you have to try_.

Reverently returning the photo to its place, she left the small office and moved down into the lower bedroom. This area seemed slightly more Del. The faint scent of cigar smoke did not linger in the air thanks to the filters, but it clung with determination to the bed coverings.

Del's swagman hat rested on her end table. Her guitar was not in its case, but rather resting on the bed, the case closed and neatly leaning against one wall.

She reached out, her fingers brushing over the strings slightly, and she smiled at the faint warm sound that emerged from them at her touch. She had never actually lifted or touched the instrument. In a way, it seemed almost forbidden, though she knew Del would never care.

_Shepard makes such wonderful music from it. I wonder if she will teach me to play, when this war is over._

She heard the muffled sound of the lift doors opening, and straightened, moving toward the stairs again. The inner door opened and Del came striding in.

Though she was not a tall woman or physically forbidding, Del nevertheless seemed to fill up a room the moment she stepped within it. She had such a presence, one she would never truly understand, and it just seemed to emanate from her. She didn't just walk into a room, she _dominated_ it.

She was blank-faced, eyes focused inward with thought, but they quickly refocused as she caught sight of the asari.

"Li? Oh, the time. Sorry I'm late. I almost completely forgot."

"It is quite all right," Liara told her with a smile, holding out her hand. Shepard moved down the steps, taking hold of it with a faint smile.

"You have a good day?" Del asked.

"I accomplished a great deal of work," Liara told her. "Yet, there always seems to be more."

"Tell me about it," Shepard said tiredly. Kissing Liara's knuckles briefly she went toward the living area. "You want a drink?"

"No, thank you. I need to remain clear-minded at the moment."

Del eyed her as she lifted a bottle of whiskey and a glass from their spots. "What you want to talk about must be really important," she noted. "Mind if I…?"

"No, go right ahead," Liara urged. "Yes, you are right. What I wish to discuss is extremely important."

Del smirked wearily, and Liara could see the faint lines the expression etched around the corners of her eyes and mouth. Faint shadows had smudged themselves under her eyes, making them seem deeper than usual. Darker.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Del asked, tongue-in-cheek. Liara, who was sadly noting the condition of her future bondmate, was taken by surprise by the question.

"What? No, of course I am not-"

"Relax, Tianlán. It was a joke," Del winked, taking a swallow of the whiskey. "Besides, asari can't get pregnant accidentally right? I mean, I'd pretty much _know_ if it happened, right?"

Liara let out a faint little sigh. She was far too tense if she didn't even realize that Del was teasing her. "No, asari do not get pregnant accidentally. Well, not outside the ufete anyway."

"Ufete? What is that?"

"It is an extremely rare occurrence that happens only when two asari Join. Even then, it only occurs between a very powerfully willed matron or matriarch, pairing with a young maiden. As you know, asari and asari pair bonds are frowned upon, and it is even more unheard of for a very old asari to seduce a very young one. I have not heard of one occurring in my lifetime, or even the lifetime of my mother."

"What happens?"

"There is an urge, usually faint, that rises in every asari during each Joining. That urge directs us to reproduce, but normally it is so faint that it can be easily and willfully ignored." Liara moved over to the sofa, gesturing at Shepard to sit, even as she did so herself. "However there is something about the Joining of nervous systems between a very old and very young asari that pushes this urge into overdrive in the older party. To resist it when it becomes so is much like attempting to resist a sneeze. While at times it can be done, it is extremely hard, if not _impossible_ to suppress. When this happens, instead of a mere mapping of DNA on the part of the elder- an event that would render _her_ pregnant-somehow instead the mapping is forced through the mind of the younger, resulting in _her_ becoming pregnant against either of their conscious wills."

"That's strange."

"Yes, well…the mechanics of it are not entirely understood- but then, neither are the mechanics of our normal reproductive methods, to be honest. In ages past, the ufete was actually considered a sign of prestige. It was said the child produced was a direct copy of the older asari's spirit and will, and the daughter born would immediately be the heir of succession, no matter how many older sisters she had above her. They were raised with unique training and ideals, told from birth that they had a grand and unique destiny. Some of the most prominent figures in ancient asari culture were products of the ufete. Do you remember me telling you of Aswi V'Dess?"

"The asari that conquered half of Thessia?"

"Yes. It is said she was not only born of an ufete, but that three of her daughters were also, once she became a matron. Of course, she did not live long enough to become a matriarch. Of those three daughters, records show two became prominent figures as well, great scholars and philosophical geniuses. The third daughter died when she was still a child."

"What do you think? Do you think these asari born of this 'ufete' are different or special?"

"No," Liara replied. "I think they only had more means to grow to their potential, as their elder parent was usually incredibly influential and had the resources to educate them so. Most asari these days agree that the ufete is simply a biological quirk, an evolutionary 'last ditch' effort for an older asari to pass on her traits to the next generation. Now it is never indulged in, and is looked down upon as simply another undesirable pair bond resulting in pureblooded daughters."

"Huh." Del regarded her whiskey a moment, then took another swallow. Liara smiled slightly.

"At any rate, that was a long-winded and distracting answer to a question that was not even serious to begin with. We have…other things to discuss."

"I get the sense I'm not going to like these _other things_," Shepard mumbled into her glass.

Reaching out almost tentatively, Liara set her hand on Del's knee. "Nan and I are…we are extremely worried about you."

"Are you?" The grunt was faint, noncommittal.

"Yes, we _are._ You are not sleeping well, if at all. You are still suffering from nightmares. All of this stress, this exhaustion…you do not seem yourself."

"Well, you don't need to worry," Del told her, finishing the glass and setting it on the table. "I'm fine."

"Your stubborn insistence that you are fine does not make it so," Liara pressed, not unkindly. "You have told me everything about what happened to you since your arrest, since…that man. Yet you still have walls. Each time we join it is like half of you is completely closed off to me, and it is only getting worse."

Shepard slapped her palms lightly on the table as she rose. "We've been over this. I already showed it to you."

"Then why do you keep hiding it?"

"Because this…" she gestured with grit-toothed irritation at her own forehead, fingers fluttering. "_This_…you don't need to keep _seeing_ it! Just because you've seen it once doesn't mean that I want to beat you over the head with it every time we're together!"

"I have seen _all_ of your memories, Del," Liara reminded her, rising. "Your childhood, your struggles, your losses. These are just as painful and traumatic, and yet you do not hide _them_ from me, and it does not 'beat me over the head' when we are together."

"What the fuck do you want me to _say_?" Del asked, glaring at her. "I just…I _can't_, Liara. I can't _do_ that to you."

Stepping around her, Liara lightly took Shepard's arms, meeting her eyes tenderly. "Shepard, you cannot do this alone. You are trying, I know, but you are breaking under the weight of it. Let me _help_ you."

"No, I'm _fine_," Shepard huffed, stepping past her and shaking her arms off. She raked a hand back over her hair, before her eyes landed on the bed for the first time.

"Were you playing my guitar?" she blurted, baffled.

"No," Liara replied, confused.

"Then why did you take it out?"

"When I entered, it was already out and lying on your bed," Liara told her. Del gave her a look, an expression of alarm, horror, anger, and confusion that she had never before seen on the woman's face.

"Del-"

"EDI, who the _fuck_ was in my room?"

"_No one save Dr. T'Soni has entered your room in the last several hours, Captain,"_ EDI replied calmly.

"Play the goddamn tapes since just before I left," Del ordered, striding up to her office console.

"Del, what is wrong?" Liara asked. Shepard ignored her, leaning on the desk as she glared at the monitor. She barely noticed the asari as she reached her side, watching as well.

The vid feeds showed Del making her final preparations to leave nearly six hours prior. They showed her guitar in its case by the bed, neatly stashed away, as she departed her room. Less than thirty seconds later, she reappeared, walking over to the bed. She picked up the case, opened it, and removed the guitar.

Watching her past self, Del's jaw only clenched tighter and tighter. As the image of her left the room again, abandoning the guitar on the bed, Del's finger stabbed out and halted the feed. "_That_ didn't happen," she growled.

"Shepard-"

"That _didn't goddamn happen_, Liara," Del snarled, pointing at the monitor as if it were a disobedient child she needed to scold.

Liara's hand was trembling a little as she lightly took Del's upper arm. She could feel the tension in the muscles beneath, like coils of wire live with electricity. "This is exactly why you need my help," she said softly. "Del, if you are acting while unaware, if you are losing time-"

"I am _**not**_ _fucking crazy_!" Del bellowed, snatching hold of her chair and flinging it to the floor. Liara, startled, danced back a step to avoid it smashing her foot. She could hear her own heart beating rapidly in her chest as Shepard moved past her, heading in a small cloud of fury for the door.

The asari's face steeled. "Del, _stop_!"

Shepard ignored her. Brows knitting, Liara stepped after her, hand lighting with biotic fire. Del was gripped in the midst of the dark energy, picked up off her feet an inch and shifted against the wall. There she found herself pinned, tendrils of blue snaking over her skin.

"What the _fuck_?" she snapped as Li stepped over. "Let me go!"

"No," Liara told her sternly. "You are going to stay there and you are going to _listen_."

"_Jesus fucking Christ Liara, let me go __**right fucking now**__!"_

"_No!"_ Liara repeated. "You _will_ be quiet and you _will_ listen to me, Del Shepard, or I _will_ break a few bones, do you hear me?"

Shepard gaped at her a moment before her mouth slammed shut with an audible click. She said nothing, only glared, but Liara supposed it was as close to acquiescence as she was going to get.

"You are _not_ crazy," Liara told her, voice a bit lower but no less intent. "You are _exhausted_. The human mind and body- even _your_ enhanced human body- can only endure so much. You are carrying an immense burden and like a stubborn, foolish _idiot_, you are insisting on carrying it alone."

"_Liara-_"

"Do _not_ speak!" Liara glared. "I love you. Despite all my common sense, despite all your stubborn pride, I love you. I _refuse_ to let you suffer alone. I _refuse_ to let this war destroy the woman I love because she is so determined to martyr herself."

"Are you done?" Del growled low.

"_Hardly_. Now. Let _me_ lay some truths upon _you_, Captain. You _are_ going to let me help you or I swear to the Goddess and every creature in the deep Thessian seas that I _will_ report you unfit for duty to Admiral Hackett and have you discharged."

"You can't _do_ that." Shepard pointed out. "You're not Alliance. You have no authority-"

"No? Perhaps not, but I know plenty of people who _do_. Shall I get Dr. Chakwas up here? Nan's word and my own should be more than enough to convince her toward not only relieving you of duty but having Haley and his men _lock you in the brig_. Am I _quite_ clear?"

Del scowled furiously. "I thought you said you loved me."

"I _do_ love you," Liara told her. "With all of my being. I love you so much that I cannot sit by and watch you destroy yourself. I would rather you hate me forever than to stand idly back and watch you suffering. _Now_. What is it going to be? Do you allow me to help you or do I contact the good doctor?"

Human and asari glared at each other a very long while, the muscles in Del's jaw working as she weighed things. Finally, in a voice so low it was nearly inaudible, Del growled, "Let me go."

Narrowing her eyes a little, Liara lowered her hand, the blue fire dying. Free, Shepard straightened, giving the sleeves of her uniform an irritated tug to smooth them again, before she cleared her throat.

Finally she said, "If we're going to do this, let's just get it over with."

Inside, Liara trembled with relief, but she dared not let it show. Shepard's mood was too volatile, too unpredictable at the moment. If Liara let her stern façade fade there was no telling _what_ Del would do. So she only pointed sternly at the sofa, waiting as Shepard stalked past her before following her.

The two women sat down. Liara reached out, gently cupping Del's cheeks. For a moment, she swept her thumbs lightly over her love's cheeks, but the hard fury in those dark brown eyes didn't fade. Lowering her head a little, she murmured, "Try and relax. Deep breaths. Feel yourself letting go. Open yourself to me. Know that we are one, that all life that lives and breathes is as one. Let me help you."

It was difficult, Shepard's anger getting in the way of her relaxing enough to allow for the meld, but slowly Liara felt her love open up a little. Just cracks at first, but enough to make the connection. Her eyes flared black as their spirits joined, and…

…she was standing at the edge of a roiling, storm-lashed sea. Lightning the color of blood licked in thirsty tongues at the slate and foam waves. The sand beneath her feet was not so much finely sifted powder as miniscule but sharp chips of bone and glass, unfriendly and uncomfortable.

Del stood in the shelter of a ledge made of porous tidal stone, the tenacious corpses of long-dead mollusks scaling its sides. Liara moved over to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly as the sea lashed and surged to new heights. Great walls of water began to lift in defiance of all physics, consuming everything, until the pair stood in the center of a swirling tornado of ocean.

"Show me, Del," Liara urged in a soft voice.

"I can't," Del whispered back. She seemed so much more vulnerable here, her usual defenses weakened simply by the act of melding.

"Yes, you can. You can do amazing things. You must show me."

In the roaring column of water around them, a face began to appear, winking and flashing and darting like a fish, just outside of reach.

"Yes," Liara whispered, encouraging. "Let me see. A little bit more."

The face drew nearer then faded again a moment before it suddenly seemed to rush to the fore. Exploding out of the water, Wyatt's mouth opened wide in a maniacal laugh and descended up on the two, swallowing them up.

Heavy, wet, salty-sea darkness consumed the asari for a moment, and then she was standing in a room. Sunlight streamed through the windows, a sturdy wood desk just at her flank. Tastefully decorated, the rooms were quiet, almost serene.

A man stood at the window, silhouetted in a wreath of golden light as he spoke into his omni-tool, clearly on some kind of call. Liara recognized Wyatt right away. Indeed, she would never be able to forget the man.

For some reason, though the rest of the scene seemed clear, his voice and the voice of the party he was speaking with were distorted and fuzzy, tuning in and out like an old-fashioned radio on the fritz. The second voice was worse…other than a word or two she could only make out that it seemed to be female.

Glancing around, knowing that this was a memory of Del's, she spotted the woman herself. A bank of equipment lined the far wall, a chair bolted to the ground in front of it. There sat Shepard, slumped like a rag-doll and fastened by her wrists and ankles. Around her head was some kind of metal halo. It sparked and licked with dim, white flares of light…eager static that seemed to murmur in anticipation.

The Spectre was not unconscious however. Her eyes were half lidded, glazed, barely aware. This memory was made when she had only started to come around…alert enough her brain recorded it but deep enough down that she could not consciously access it.

_That explains why the voices are distorted_, she thought. The room was more solid because Del had seen it clearly when she was conscious. The voices, however, had only been semi-perceived through a drugged and nearly comatose state.

She resisted the urge to go over to Del's image, instead forcing herself to move nearer to Wyatt, to perhaps make out what he was saying.

"…that angle…it's all taken care of…small chance…absolutely bonkers."

"…plan."

"I know that's not the p…happen anyway. She…all speculation."

His voice suddenly got clearer, and Liara looked over to see Del had lifted her head. She was still only this side of conscious but it was at least enabling her to pick up more of the conversation.

"…need reinforcement if it's going to work properly," Wyatt told his mysterious comrade. "So long as…exhausted and unbalanced, the…will take. If we can't get her locked up then at the very least she can…our side."

"…do whatever you need," the second voice replied. It was still far too muzzy, but something about it niggled at her. It sounded somewhat familiar. "She…_Normandy_ then I'll…"

Del made a soft sound, and Wyatt turned his head and looked at her. "She's waking up. I'll notify you if Gaslight is a go."

He switched the tool off and strode over to where Shepard was stirring, and leaned over her briefly, adjusting something on the equipment bank, humming as he did.

Shepard blinked, shaking her head a moment before her legs suddenly snapped up, restrained from kicking the man by the cuffs bound around them. Wyatt didn't so much as flinch, and crouched in front of her with a beatific grin.

"Ah, that is so impressive," he cooed. "There was enough sedative on that dot to knock a grown man out for ten hours…it managed to put you down for less than one."

Reaching out he gripped her arm firmly, turning it over in the restraint. A small white dot, exactly like the medication patches she pasted to the nape of her neck every morning save in color, was on the underside of her wrist.

"Do forgive me," he said as he peeled it off. "I applied it when I fastened your cuffs to the chair. I was only going to use a tenth of that dosage but as I said…lucky I read your medical file first."

Liara had seen this memory before. She watched the conversation unfold, watched Del revolt in fury when Wyatt called Liara a squid-headed slut. She watched and listened, trembling in impotent anger, as Wyatt taunted Del and informed her of his plan.

Or so it would seem.

"I will kill you," Del threatened raggedly. "I swear to _**God**_ I will kill you…"

He huffed. "What is _going_ to happen, Commander, is you are going to suffer the worst, most vivid nightmare you have ever before experienced. You are going to suffer it until your feeble little brain comes apart. Then, you are going to be thrown into a bitsy little cell and left to drool on yourself for the rest of your life. Everyone will _see_ how lunatic you are. You'll be hidden away, covered up, buried in some dingy corner where no one will ever find you again, lost in the hell you deserve for your disgusting perversions!"

Drawing a syringe from his pocket he tugged off the cap in his teeth, slamming his hand down over her forearm again. She strained furiously, muscles knotting like steel…which did nothing but sharpen the pain of the needle he forcefully rammed into her flesh.

The scene started to disintegrate as did Del's consciousness, but her fading mind managed to snag hold of Wyatt's words. They would be lost to all conscious memory, but the marvelous subconscious brain would record them as it did everything it was exposed to.

"Or you will _join_ us," he said, his voice breaking away like ghosts. "It's your choice…"

* * *

Liara and Del both gasped as if coming up for air after nearly drowning. Shepard surged away from the asari instinctively, half falling off the sofa as she did, blinking her eyes rapidly. Her cheeks were flushed, her face pale and damp with sweat. Liara reached out to catch hold of her but Del was already pulling away, on her feet.

"He did _something else_ to me, didn't he?" She said in a rough voice. "He…he wasn't just trying to make me crazy, was he? To discredit me and get me arrested. He knew that may be a side-effect and he could use it to his advantage if it happened but…that wasn't the _purpose_ of what he was doing. That wasn't the point. There was something else…what did he _do to me_?"

Liara, her legs feeling weak and shaky, rose and reached for Del's arm. Barely had her fingers touched her, however, than Del abruptly started forward, heading for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Liara asked, starting after her.

"I'm going to call Admiral Hackett, find out where that _fucker_ is," Del snapped. "I'll _beat_ the goddamn truth out of him if I have to-"

"Del, stop, you cannot do that!"

"_Watch_ me!" Del snarled, nearly to the door. Liara darted up, catching hold of her arm again.

"No, please…I mean you _cannot_ do that."

Liara felt her gut knot, the tremble having spread from her legs throughout her body, as Shepard halted and stared at her. She felt almost sick with trepidation, mouth suddenly dry.

"What do you mean, Liara?" Del asked warily, almost warningly.

"You cannot ask Admiral Hackett to give you Wyatt," she heard herself say, her voice weak and foreign to her own ears.

"Why?"

"Because…_I_ already took him," Liara whispered.

A long moment of tense silence, the calm before the storm.

"Where is he, Liara?"

Her gaze had drifted downward, and she forced herself to look up again, to meet Del's flinty eyes.

"He is dead."


	33. Chapter 33

"Dead."

The word was stated in such a flat, chilling voice that Liara felt herself shudder faintly. For a moment, it was like she was looking at a complete stranger, that the woman in front of her was someone she had never before met. The sensation made her feel horrible in ways she had been unable to imagine.

"You killed him?" Shepard demanded when Liara paused too long. It was on the cusp of Liara's tongue to say '_no, Zaeed did'_, but that was an immature deflection. It did not matter _who_ had pulled the trigger. The man had been killed under Liara's order and so it was her responsibility.

"Yes," she admitted, marveling at how calm and even her voice seemed to be.

The smoldering inferno behind Del's eyes only grew more heated. "You killed him? The _one_ goddamn person who knows _what_ was done to me and _how to goddamn fix it_ and you _killed_ him?"

"Del, I-"

"Jesus fucking Christ, don't fucking _speak to me_," Del snarled, stalking back down into the living area. Her barely contained rage was evident in the way she planted her hands on her hips, then yanked at her uniform, then folded her arms. Keep the hands occupied so they would not just hit something.

Liara lowered her head, eyes and throat heated with emotion as her vision blurred with tears. Del was right to be angry, of course. It was true. She had destroyed the sole person who could have given them answers. If Del didn't fix this it was likely she truly _would _go insane. She wouldn't be able to command, wouldn't be able to lead the fight against the Reapers. Treaties would fall apart, each race would go it alone and this cycle would conclude the same as had every cycle for unimaginable ages before them.

"I thought as you had, that he had only drugged you, made you relive your nightmares," Liara managed to say. She didn't know if the cold silence in response was positive or negative. "I could not have known that he had done more to you than just that. Even your first memory of it showed no more than just that. What would you have done, Del? If it had been I who had been subjected to that kind of treatment? If someone had hurt _me_ that way? What would you have done?"

"Do _not_ turn this around on me!" Del barked, glaring over at her. "You're supposed to be _better _than me, Liara! Smarter and calmer and more _rational_. _I'm_ the goddamn temperamental stupid fucking meat-head!"

"Do _not_ say that," Liara scowled, feeling her own anger rising. "You are nothing of the kind!"

"Jesus fuck, what the _fuck_ am I supposed to do now? Whatever this _thing_ is, it's driving me out of my head, Liara! Do you know what that _means_? _I can't be in command_! _Tā māde ni__ǎ__o!_"

"We will _fix _this," Liara urged, frantically thinking. "Wyatt was talking to someone, on his omni-tool. He clearly was not in this alone. Communications leave records, he may have been sloppy. I will find his acquaintances, his habits, family or friends that he may have spoken with. I will trace his research and his companions from birth upward if I must. I will put all my resources into-"

"Your resources are _supposed_ to be going into the _Crucible_ and the _war effort_," Shepard told her.

"They _will_ be going into the war effort," Liara responded. "This fight needs _you_-"

"_Cao_!" Del strode furiously past the asari, heading for the door.

"Where are you-" Liara tried weakly, only to physically recoil slightly as Shepard all but screamed at her over her shoulder.

"_**To get a fucking drink**__! __Bùyàoli__ǎ__n de dōngxi! Leave me alone_!"

The door slid shut, leaving Liara in the almost ominous silence again. One hand reaching out, she braced herself on the edge of the desk, her other hand lifting to cover her mouth as the tears overwhelmed her. She had seen Shepard angry before, but nothing like this. Her words were beyond mere anger and into the hurtful.

Del did not know it, but since they had met, Liara had been delving into old Earth languages now and again, focusing some on English but mostly on Mandarin. She could not speak it, of course, but she understood enough to get the gist of what Shepard was saying when she would devolve into using it. Most of the time, it merely amused her. This time, the meaning of her final words simply kept ringing in her ears.

Bùyàoliǎn de dōngxi.

You are shameless.

You are less than human.

The inner meaning of the words also was not lost. Being an asari, Liara was not human to begin with. Shepard's words did not mean she was simply lower than her own kind…it became a racial insult, reducing Liara to nothing simply because she was not human to begin with.

It was something that Liara would never have guessed would come out of Del's mouth-

Her watery eyes lifted a little as she straightened, taking in a sharp, deep breath.

_Del would never say such a thing. You remember how angry she got at Ash for even hinting at her dislike and mistrust of aliens? Even at the height of her fury, Del cannot __**be **__something that she simply is __**not**__, and Del is __**not**__ racist. She judges people by who they are, not how they were born. She is not segregationist in any way. _

_No,_ a smaller, quieter version of her voice responded. _But Terra Firma __**is**__._

"Or you will _join_ us," she whispered softly, parroting the words Wyatt had said in the memory. That was it. The intention had not been truly to make Shepard crazy- though they could work with that end if need be- it had been to make her one of _them_. To fulfill _their_ vision of what a paragon of humanity _should_ be.

One that hated aliens.

Swiping her hands over her cheeks, she rushed for the lift. They had departed the Citadel so the only place Shepard could go 'out' to for drinks was the lounge on the crew deck. Liara's destination lay elsewhere, however, and she rushed into the infirmary only a few minutes later.

Chakwas, Mordin, Eve, and Nan all turned their heads to stare at her in surprise as she entered.

"Good evening, Dr. T'Soni," Mordin began to greet, puzzlement in his huge eyes the moment before Liara grabbed his arm, almost bodily dragging him closer to the door to speak to him in private. She trusted everyone there, of course, but Helen was an Alliance officer, and duty would demand that she relieve the Captain if she heard what Liara was about to say.

Nan, concern lining her face, immediately headed over. Liara pointed firmly at Chakwas as she began to rise. "No, Doctor…stay there. You do not want to hear this."

"Liara, what's-"

"You do not _want_ to hear this," Liara repeated firmly. Helen wavered, then sat back down again, out of hearing range.

"Child, you look a'fright!" Nan gasped, lightly touching her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Liara's eyes, however, were fixed to the salarian.

"Mordin, it is my belief that Shepard is indoctrinated."

"_What_?" Nan gasped as Mordin immediately set his swift brain to the matter.

"Alarming prospect. Trigger? Object Rho at Bahak System, could potentially-"

"No, no," Liara interrupted. "She is not indoctrinated by the Reapers. I believe that she is indoctrinated by _Terra Firma_."

"Terra Firma?" Nan shook her head. "No, you mean _Dr. Wyatt_. You think what he did to her changed her somehow?"

"I am positive of it," Liara said, wringing her hands. "I believe they were actually trying to use chemical and ultrasonic techniques- not to cause a psychotic break, as we thought- but to actually _change_ her over to their way of thinking. To force her to be _their_ version of the human ideal; someone who hates anyone _not_ _**them**_."

She outlined what she had seen in the memory, and felt herself shaking a little as she recalled Del's words. Nan paled when she explained what the Chinese meant.

"Oh, darling, you know she doesn't believe that! She _adores_ you!"

"Perhaps," Mordin said, ticking a finger against his lips.

"_Perhaps_? Of _course_ Del loves Liara! I've never seen anyone more in love than-"

"Indoctrination precludes reason, precludes feelings. Alters perspective, alters ways of thinking. Liara, remember geth heretics? Virus introduced into system?"

Liara blinked. "Yes…the virus rewrote a very tiny portion of their binary code, which inevitably resulted in them making different conclusions, helped them to rejoin the Consensus."

"Form of indoctrination. Subtleties. Change one small portion, whole changes as result. Humans have saying, butterfly flaps wings, storm rises on other side of planet. Small cause, huge effect. Stole records from Alliance, knew that Wyatt used subharmonics, concluded they were aid to enhance memory hallucinations, make more real. Valid conclusion, but wrong. In memory, did you see electricity? Power source, equipment, method to direct into brain tissue?"

"She was wearing some kind of metal halo around her head. It had white energy running through it."

"There is answer. Indoctrination. Crude compared to Reapers, but effective. Electrically introduced subharmonics, chemical stimulus to right regions of brain, alters tiny bit of code, code compiles, extrapolates, grows, wrong conclusions reached. When was last time you were intimate?"

Liara gaped, blushing furiously at the question, but Mordin looked utterly serious. "Why do you need to know-?"

"Recent? Days, hours, weeks ago?" he pressed.

Trying not to look at Nan, Liara closed her mouth. "Last night, actually," she admitted.

"Seemed happy to see you today? Before you had conversation?"

"She-…she was tired, but yes. She seemed genuinely happy to see me."

"Good, excellent."

"You've lost me, Professor," Nancy said, confused.

"If conclusion made that indoctrination began during incident with Wyatt, we can then conclude effective speed. Wyatt months ago, Shepard only now beginning to lose sympathy toward aliens, triggered by temper. Would not be happy to see you, be intimate, if process were concluded. Slow acting, slow changing, gives us time."

"Can we fix it?" Liara asked hopefully. "Undo what was done? I know you were helping Syd-"

"Yes. Reaper indoctrination, highly sophisticated, extremely difficult. Shepard, possibly easier, more crude methods. Possibly _harder_, less easy to predict reaction to crudity. Would have to fully examine, test neurologic function and reflex, many tests. Will take time."

"She's in the lounge," Liara breathed in relief. "I'll get her-"

"No, cannot do it now," Mordin halted her. "Too much work on Eve, on cure. No time."

"No _time_?" Liara gasped. "This is _Shepard_, Mordin!"

"Understand," he said softly. "Cannot let personal feelings enter equation. Must address numbers, facts. Shepard one woman. Has time. Can wait. No cure for genophage, millions die, no time. Cure must come first, cannot spread resources thin. Cannot treat Shepard until cure distributed."

Liara covered her face, only vaguely feeling Nan's arm move around her shoulders. "What should we do, Mordin?" Nan asked softly. "Until she can be helped, what should we do? Is she a harm to herself? Does she need to be relieved of command?"

"No, not necessary," he said. "Conditioning not meant to harm her physically, only change perspective. Might become bit more intolerant of non-humans, but will not cause direct harm…not _yet_. Perhaps months before reaches that point. Still rational, can still command. Must watch, however. You two, keep close eye on behavior, report any anomalies. Can only monitor at this point until genophage cure completed. Gives reason, we relieve of command. Must keep her in command as long as possible. _Has_ to be her. Someone else might get it wrong."

Liara lowered her hand. "There was something else," she murmured. Mordin's use of the word 'anomalies' had brought it back to mind. "When I arrived at her quarters, her guitar was out on her bed. When she arrived she was confused how it had gotten there. She seemed alarmed, asked EDI to pull up the feeds…which showed her taking it out and putting it there herself. She had no memory of doing so."

"Hmm." Mordin's eyes narrowed and he tapped his lips again. Only a few seconds passed as he thought in silence, but for someone who pondered as quickly as he did, it was an eternity.

"Perhaps…conditioning?" he ventured.

"Conditioning?"

"Methods Wyatt used were advanced, but crude, as mentioned. Untested, unproven, leap in the dark, so to speak. Chemical and neurologic changes would occur faster if subject's mind were kept off balance, kept exhausted. Exhaustion given; war, treaties, stress, work…off-balance more deliberate, intentional. Slight fugue state induced hypnotically so she would alter her own environment and lose memory of event? Possible. Likely."

"So the more she _thinks_ she's crazy, the faster the indoctrination takes hold," Liara noted. "She is changing small elements in her own environment, with no memory of doing so, in order to speed up the process in her brain. When she sees these changes, she thinks she is losing her sanity."

"Yes, or so must assume until alternate evidence presented."

"Should we tell her?" Nan asked, looking between the two. "I mean, if she _knows_ what's happening to her, would that help her to stabilize? If she can recognize what's going on, would she be able to fight it?"

"Shepard fights," Mordin shrugged simply.

"That is true, that is what she does," Nan agreed. "I'll speak to her, tell her what we've learned."

"I would suggest waiting until tomorrow," Liara said. "She is…extremely unhappy right now."

"I've dealt with the worst that girl can throw out," Nan reassured. "But you're probably right. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Mordin, you said you had retrieved some files on Wyatt's work from the Alliance. I will need those," Liara said. "You may not be able to help her right now but I have many contacts. They may be able to better pinpoint the methods used and that might give us some tools."

"Agreed. Hardly the _only_ brilliant mind in the galaxy, though am close," he smiled. "Must get back to work. Will help you with findings, will direct my colleagues to bring any remaining equipment from Sur'Kesh to the Citadel. When genophage is done, will help Shepard."

As Liara started to depart, Nan caught up with her. "This is my fault, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes damp. "I pushed you to help her-"

"And we _are_ helping her," Liara reassured softly. "I know it was not truly Del who said those words. She is as frightened as I am…perhaps moreso. She does not handle fear well."

"No, she doesn't. She's too used to shutting it out, addressing the cause, and eliminating it. She can't address this cause or even truly understand it, and that's where the danger comes. Sweetie, just remember…no matter what she might say or do, Del _loves_ you."

"I know she does," Liara whispered, and hated herself for the imagined doubt in her voice, seeking to banish it by reaffirming once again, "I know she does."

* * *

Contrary to what she had said, and what Liara might believe, Shepard was not drinking. Though she _had_ in fact gone to the lounge, had snapped the cork out of the nearest bottle behind the bar her snatching hand had come into contact with, had poured whatever it was into a glass.

Then she simply sat on the stool, staring at the glass resting untouched in front of her.

Shepard was not a stupid woman, however she might feel it sometimes. She was not as academically intelligent as Liara or Mordin, perhaps, nor as wordly wise as Nan and Samara, but she was far from stupid. She had taught herself to read over an old man's shoulder. She had learned to speak Chinese and Galactic while starving, while running in a gang. When the actual opportunity for some real schooling came, she did not top her classes but she performed brightly and respectably enough, catching up quickly with her classmates who had enjoyed the benefit of a regular life and consistent academics.

Despite her obvious intelligence, however, the years of abuse, lack of socialization, and the general attitudes thrust upon her by folk like Udina, formed a skewed self-image that seemed impossible to banish.

That image told her she was nothing but a meat-head, a typical soldier that hit hard and cursed harder and could not generate warmth from two brain cells rubbing if the subject were anything but how to hit harder or curse better.

To her, someone like Liara was almost unfathomable. She just understood so much more, could articulate herself so much better. She was smart, _incredibly smart_, and Shepard was grateful just for the chance to bathe in that intelligence and feel awe.

Perhaps that was truly why she was so angry.

Had Wyatt, or someone like him, done the same to Liara, Shepard knew well and good what she would have done. She'd have tracked the fucker down and come up with all sorts of deliciously sadistic ways to make him suffer…and in the end, she'd have killed him.

But Liara was supposed to be _better_ than that. It was excusable for Shepard. She was a grunt, would never be anything more or less than a grunt. That is what grunts _did_. Violence and retribution were their bread and butter. She was fine with that.

Liara shouldn't have been about violence and retribution. She was smarter than that, more evolved. She shouldn't have stooped to Del's level. She should have made better decisions.

_Is this because of me? Is this the influence I have on her? To take something so noble and pure and drag it down into the dirt? Am I damaging her? Corrupting her?_

Del had been barely aware of the furious departing words she'd shot at the asari as she left the Nest, and so did not dwell on them now. Her fingers stole out and slipped around the cup she had poured, but they did nothing more than simply press against the cool surface. Propping her head in her other hand, she closed her eyes a moment, feeling sleep immediately snag at her with viciously tenacious hooks. She resisted it, unconsciously starting to hum.

"Well, look at you."

Del's head snapped up and she whirled around, eyes flying wide. Her shifting hand upset the cup and the drink spilled, seeping unnoticed over the bar and dribbling onto the floor.

"_Syd?"_ she gasped.

No one was there. The lounge was as empty as it had been a moment ago.

Brows trembling, Shepard closed her eyes and raked a hand through her hair. Clearing her throat she got softly to her feet, straightening.

She adjusted her collar, smoothed her black locks, squared her shoulders. Then, with precisely measured footsteps, she left the lounge and headed to the lift.

Up to the CIC deck, she exited the lift and went toward the war room. As always it was a bustle of voices and activity, rotating holographic displays filling the air with dozens of different shades of light. Hands clasped behind her back as if she were conducting an inspection, Shepard strode through the chaos and took the steps into the QEC.

Approaching the communications pad, she sent out a ping with very deliberate stabs of her finger, then straightened as she waited for it to be answered.

Time seemed to crawl past before the ping chirped, and the holographic image appeared.

"_Captain Shepard_," Admiral Hackett greeted. _"You have a report?"_

"I have a notification, sir," she answered calmly.

"_A notification? About what?"_

"I need to notify you that I am stepping down from my commission as Captain of the _Normandy_, Admiral."

* * *

**tā māde ni****ǎ****o =God damn it**

**Cao= Fuck**

**bùyàoli****ǎ****n de dōngxi= you're shameless and less than human.**


	34. Chapter 34

If Hackett was surprised, he did not show it. Perhaps his eyes narrowed slightly, his shoulders straightening just a hairsbreadth more, but it could have been imagination as well.

"Really?" he asked flatly. "That's a pretty drastic decision, Captain. Might I ask why?"

"Sir, I have reason to believe that I am no longer mentally competent to hold command. It appears that what happened at Bonneville has had lingering psychological effects."

"You're talking about Dr. Wyatt," he surmised.

"Yes sir."

"Two psychiatrists and Nan herself all cleared you, deemed you mentally fit."

"They were mistaken, sir."

"Have you talked to Dr. Chakwas about this? What's her take?"

"I haven't discussed it with her or the crew," Shepard told him. "Helen's a medical doctor, not a psychiatrist."

"I see. So you are basing this incompetency on your own perceptions."

Shepard narrowed her eyes a little. "Yes sir."

"On what grounds?"

"Sir, I'm hearing voices. I'm moving things around my quarters with no knowledge of having done so," Shepard said with thinly veiled irritation.

"And how much sleep are you getting?"

"Sir, this isn't about lack of sleep-!"

"Isn't it? Have you harmed yourself physically, or any one on your crew?"

"No sir!" she sounded aghast, offended at the very notion.

"Well, then, Captain…unless a qualified psychiatrist can give me a definite as to your mental state or you stand there with two competent, trained witnesses who can vouch that you are a harm to yourself or others, then I cannot remove you from command."

"Sir-"

"Even with those things, I doubt I would do so. Shepard, this war is too big, the cost too high, to justify removing you from this. We need your unique talents, experiences, and connections to pull this thing off. Were this peace-time or even a war against a conventional enemy, I might take your resignation into consideration, but it's simply not an option right now. Half the crew building the Crucible are hearing voices, forgetting things, out of sheer exhaustion. The other half are working on stims. This war is stretching everyone to the breaking point. You have to give me something more solid and immediate than _that_ if you want me to throw away our best hope."

The muscles in Del's jaw rippled as she looked downward a moment. "Yes, sir," she murmured. "I understand sir."

"Get some sleep, Del," he said almost affectionately. "Share your concerns with Dr. Chakwas, and the next time you're at the Citadel I can have an Alliance psychiatrist evaluate you again. Until then, I cannot in good conscience relieve you from duty at this time."

"Yes, sir."

"_Sleep_," he pressed again. "Hackett out."

As his form faded she slammed her balled up fist on the edge of the console, then turned on her heel and strode out.

Her uniform jacket slapped into the sofa at the Nest only a few minutes later. Her urge was still to grab her bottle of whiskey and drink herself into a stupor, but booze was the last thing she needed right now. If something else happened, she didn't want it to be a question of sanity or alcohol consumption.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she hauled off her boots, throwing them aside before planting her elbows on her knees. Her fingers sank into her dark hair as she leaned forward, letting out a ragged sigh.

Liara had killed Wyatt.

The words wouldn't stop ringing through her head, careening back and forth against her skull like angry wasps, refusing to leave her alone. Liara had killed Wyatt.

It seemed almost sacrilegious.

She was once again seized with the idea that it was her fault. Liara wouldn't have hurt a fly, before she met Del. Since then, she had been forced to be party to her mother's death, locked in a quest for vengeance, become the Shadow Broker…and now her ruthless elimination of Wyatt.

It seemed Shepard had come into her life for no other reason than to fuck it up.

Flopping back on the bed, she regarded the stars shimmering beyond the porthole in her ceiling for only a moment. Sleep, long fought and denied, snuck up on her like a thief, carrying her down before she was aware of it.

* * *

Liara paced her small room, dozens of holo-monitors hovering around her displaying dozens of different lines of intel, or images, or communications with various parts of her broker network. She had barely begun to sift through them when she realized _why_ it had not been obvious before that Wyatt was not working alone.

Someone was hiding information very, very well. _Alarmingly_ well, actually. The Shadow Broker was supposed to have the largest information network in the galaxy, and yet someone seemed to be blocking or outright removing the exact information that Liara was looking for. It not only frustrated her, it _frightened_ her.

Every time she came up with a name that might be relevant, it was erased, or ended up being a well-fabricated alias that lead nowhere. Wyatt's own background with God's Planet and Terra Firma were the only items she could scrounge up. She knew where he had gotten his doctorates, but his test scores, IQ scores, records of his family, friends, acquaintances…all gone.

If the data were to be believed, he had developed his plot and his machine all on his own, without aid or even resources that could be tracked back to suppliers. All impossible, of course. Even a mad genius like Osco had needed financial backing, equipment, and suppli-

"Osco," she blinked. Casting aside half of her windows she quickly pulled up her records on Gellian Osco.

She had delved into Osco before. The woman was a genius, but afflicted with a genetic illness that eventually claimed her life. She had worked for Cerberus in her younger years before leaving their company and joining up with Benezia, Liara's own mother. Her Petit Wahler's syndrome had, of course, been present since birth but…had Liara ever actually looked at the woman's _family_?

"Yes, yes, I remember," she murmured aloud as she scrutinized the record again. "They were colonists, poor farmers. They left her to her own devices because they didn't know how to deal with her condition or her intelligence."

Petit Wahler's was a condition that went right down to the DNA. Both parents had to be recessive carriers and even then, they had only a 1% chance of actually having a child with the disease. Osco's genetic profile was on record of course…but Wyatt's had been redacted. She knew it existed, as anyone holding an Alliance position or even contracted by the Alliance was routinely given one. That was how Shepard had found out she was mostly Native American.

What would be the purpose of redacting his genetic profile, unless there was something in his _actual_ DNA that needed to remain hidden?

"Well, sometimes the simplest methods are the most fruitful," she murmured, pulling up her contact list.

Selecting a number she opened a secure communications line. A few pings later, and a masculine voice answered.

"_Fairfield Care?"_

She used her voice scrambler, not to sound as the Broker but to still sound rather masculine. The Broker's 'voice' was obviously artificial, and calling with it would probably make them squirrely.

"Yes, my name is Morris Grant," she replied. "I am an attorney with Colonial Affairs. I am trying to reach a Floyd Osco?"

"_Mr. Osco is not well, and we are extremely busy with transferring our patients to Sanctuary. What's your reason for calling?"_

"Unfortunately it is confidential information regarding his daughter, I am authorized to speak only to him. I understand things are hectic but it is quite important."

A frustrated huff, but the man conceded. _"I can give you a few minutes with him if he's awake. One moment."_

The call was paused, and several agonizing minutes crawled past. Liara continued to pace, willing herself to be patient. Then a man's voice, weary and somehow wilted, came on the line.

"_This's Floyd_."

"Mr. Osco, my name is Morris Grant with Colonial Affairs."

"_Ain't been on the colony for five years now. What's Affairs want with me?"_

"It is actually regarding your daughter Gellian, Mr. Osco."

"_Ain't seen that girl in over thirty years,"_ he mumbled. _"Didn't want nothin' to do with us, and God's honest truth, I think that was for the best. What's this about?"_

"I am sorry to tell you this, sir, but she has passed away."

A moment of silence, then a noise that could have been anything from him clearing his throat to a barely contained snort of laughter. _"Is she now? Was that…that brain thing she had, wasn't it? Doctors told us she wouldn't live to be five. Bitch was just as stubborn as her Mama though, refused to die."_

"Yes, it was due to her genetic illness, unfortunately." Inwardly Liara was confused and a bit angry.

_No wonder Gellian left home and turned into the person she did, if __**this**__ was the kind of father she had!_

"Mr. Osco, when Gellian passed away she left behind rather sizable assets. She provided her will, but unfortunately part of the data degraded in the transfer and we have been unable to locate a backup copy. She names one relative in particular but we cannot deduce the name or relationship from what we have. I was hoping you could shed some light on the matter."

"_Weren't me, I guarantee that. Girl couldn't give two farts in the wind about me and her mother."_

"Did she have any cousins that she was particularly close to?" Liara hedged, knowing perfectly well that Osco didn't. "Perhaps an aunt or an uncle? Even friends that she spent a lot of time with?"

"_Weren't nobody like that. Friends, that's a laugh! Her Majesty didn't even lower her great self to talk to __**us**__ half the time. Figured we was too stupid. Only person she ever talked to regular was her half-brother and they barely got along either. Fought like cats and dogs most of the time-"_

"Half-brother?" Liara pounced.

"_Yeah, he was Bea's kid from her first marriage. Two years older than Gellian, and a right pain in the ass. Didn't live with us, thank the Gods. Stayed with his Daddy. Didn't like having him over to the house. Goddamn cultists you ask me."_

"Cultists?"

"_Yeah, goddamn Liberationalists. They were crazier than Gellian, and that's saying a lot."_

"I see," Liara said, hiding the tremor in her voice. "Do you think her half-brother might be the one she names in her will?"

"_It's possible,"_ he grunted. _"Like I said, they were the only ones that spoke to each other."_

"Was he of…unusual intelligence as well?"

"_Kid was a fucktard. Always reading, always looking so goddamn smug and patronizin' over them ugly bug-fuck glasses of his. Yeah, I figure he was smart, but not the kind of smart that counts. Leastways he seemed to understand what Gellian was saying when half the rest of us were scratchin' our heads over it."_

"Perhaps I should get in contact with him then," Liara tried not to sound eager. "Do you have his name?"

"_Uh, lemme think. Been twenty years since I saw the bastard at his Mama's funeral, and I never cared to talk to him. It was some stupid name, prissy and shit. Lemme think…"_

_Was it Wyatt_? Liara silently prodded. _Was it Hadar Wyatt?_

"_Firth! That was it!"_ Osco declared proudly. _"Fucker's name was Percival Firth."_

Hanging up with Osco's unpleasant father a few minutes later, Liara immersed herself in the man named Percival Firth. Unsurprisingly, she ran into the same roadblocks she had with Wyatt. Though the names did not match, she was convinced they were one and the same.

Hadar Wyatt was an unstable, eccentric genius Liberationalist. Percival Firth was an unstable, eccentric possible-genius Liberationalist. Far too many coincidences, and the only reason she could think that Wyatt's genetic documentation had been redacted. Someone didn't want the connection made between Wyatt and Osco…or if the connection was made, to remove all concrete proof.

This went _way_ beyond one single mentally unstable Terra Firma doctor attacking Shepard out of his own zealous bigotry.

"I have come upon something, Shadow Broker," Glyph suddenly supplied. Turning toward it immediately, Liara accessed the screen it offered, drawing up an image.

"The picture was in an old email database that belonged to Niket Lambo."

"Miranda Lawson's friend?" Liara's eyes widened in surprise. What did Niket have to do with all of this?

"Yes. Facial recognition software has matched ninety nine out of a hundred points of reference, identifying the girl at the left of the photo as Gellian Osco. The same number of reference points identify the boy at the right of the photo as Hadar Wyatt."

"So Wyatt really _was_ Firth," Liara murmured in amazement. The fact that Shepard's tormenter happened to be related to Gellian Osco was startling and more than a bit unnerving, as was a third person in the image. A tall man, handsome, with a broad smile. He was holding a bundled blanket indicating a baby was hidden within. She didn't need Glyph to tell her who _he_ was, but the last person in the image, the girl sitting cross-legged at his feet with a blank expression, was a mystery.

"This is beyond troubling, Glyph," Liara told the image…not because the VI assistant would care but because she had to vocalize her thoughts. "That man is Henry Lawson, one of the richest human beings in the galaxy…and father to Miranda Lawson. His association with Gellian Osco at her apparent age in the photo suggests she may have helped him perfect his procedures leading to his 'legacy'. That boy is far younger than he was when I met him, but I would not mistake that face in a thousand years. That is definitely Hadar Wyatt. The final girl I do not recognize. Glyph, do we have an identification on _her_?"

"Scanning facial recognition points. Filtering for matches through all known databases."

Glyph fell silent as he worked, and Liara drew the image closer, making it larger. The final girl seemed to be of an age with Gellian, though she did have some issues judging human aging. If the child Lawson was holding in his arms was Miranda, then she could extrapolate from her known age and Gellian's known age, and make a guess as to when the picture was taken.

Given those parameters, Osco would only be sixteen in this image. She would have voluntarily left home only a year before that, at age fifteen. She had joined Cerberus at age twenty-two, and from what Liara had found, her whereabouts between the time she left home and the time she started in with the former Alliance black-ops group had been more or less unknown.

_A runaway girl…Henry Lawson recognizes her genius, uses it to compliment his, to help perfect his work. Impressed, he refers her to Cerberus? It is possible, but how plausible? And where did she go in the time between this photo and the facility on Pragia, where Jack was raised? Miranda knew her but only through Cerberus. She claimed never to have met her in person .Miranda would have been twelve when that op started, and surely old enough to remember Gellian if she was still there, working with her father._

"Search complete," Glyph announced. "Matching ninety nine of a hundred points of reference the final figure in the image is Inna Neirby."

"Pull up all records of Inna Neirby, including photographic references."

The screens flashed, but a frustratingly small amount of data appeared. Again, most everything seemed to have been redacted by a more sophisticated hacker or network than even she employed. All she was able to glean was that Inna was born just three years after Osco and was abandoned at a hospital. Any adoption or foster records were all gone. There were a few pictures of her at roughly the same age as she was in the troubling image of Lawson, Wyatt, and Osco- but the backgrounds were plain, and no clues were afforded as to where they may have been taken. Inna was a pretty enough girl, but had that same blank vacancy from her expression that almost leant the impression one were looking at a facsimile, or a mock-up rather than an actual living being. Even her wide dark eyes were flat and lackluster.

Who was hacking into the system and why? Clearly they were trying to hide the relationship between Osco and Wyatt, but why this girl Inna? Physically she did not resemble either Gellian or Hadar, being a bit darker in hair and coloration, with-

"By the Goddess…" Liara gasped, and drew the image in even closer. She scrutinized the girl's face closely, feeling her stomach knot as she took in familiar features, her gut trembling.

Turning to another image she swiftly brought up some more records. A dingy room. A pair of dead drug-addicts. Going back, she pulled up pictures of one of the addicts when she was still alive. Her haggard face was yellowed with liver and kidney damage, the hollows of her eyes reddened, sores around her mouth. This was a police image, during one of her many arrests for prostitution.

With a snap of her wrist, Liara drew up yet a third image. The subject of this one was straight-backed, proud, dignified. She stood in the glowing midst of these three images, looking between them all, before she spoke.

"Glyph, extrapolate and map all facial points on these three images and overlay."

"Yes, Shadow Broker."

Thousands of tiny glowing dots appeared on the faces of all three women. A grid was formed on each by connecting the dots, then the grid separated from the images, hovering into place so they overlapped.

"Comparison and data analysis complete."

"Results?"

"There is a 97.2 percent chance that these three subjects are related. Given age of the middle subject, surmise mother and daughters."

Liara felt her knees go a little weak, and caught hold of the wall behind her to steady herself. Jaia Torrfield, the subject of the middle image, was Shepard's mother. A drug addict and prostitute, her husband was not Shepard's father but likely one of her many clients. It seemed that it was not the only time she had become pregnant due to her occupation…or perhaps Inna was the get of her husband himself.

_An unwanted pregnancy, an unwanted infant, and Jaia not quite so deep down the well of self-destruction as she was just a few years later. She has the infant…and abandons her at the hospital. By the time she is pregnant a second time she is too out of contact with reality to do the same with her subsequent child, leaving Shepard to grow up in that horrible room_.

Hospitals kept security footage both inside and out. It did not take her long to track down the hospital Inna had been abandoned at, and to pull up the footage from the date it had occurred. Sometime around midnight, a scrawny looking woman entered, wordlessly handed an infant wrapped in an old shirt to the nurse on duty, then walked out without a word.

The cameras caught her face quite clearly as she turned to depart. She did not even need Glyph to compare it to the police photo.

The woman was Jaia.

This mysterious girl- sitting blank-faced at the feet of Henry Lawson, flanked by two of the most insane geniuses of their generation-…

…was Del Shepard's older sister.

"Glyph," she began, her voice shaking. "I need you to-"

The images suddenly vanished, error messages popping up. Liara immediately drew her other feeds in closer only to watch the picture of Henry Lawson and company be purged as well. The remainder of Osco's records, Jaia's records, and everything she had on Wyatt, was systematically vanishing.

The hacker was in her system right now, deftly destroying the evidence.

"Glyph, isolate all broker systems in this room from EDI and then isolate yourself!"

She didn't want to run the risk of the hacker moving through her system to affect EDI, and she didn't want Glyph being compromised either.

The instant Glyph did so, the hacker deleted the last of the material.

Almost immediately EDI's voice filled the room_. {Liara, I detected a threat to the ship's systems that originated from your Broker network. It has now stopped.}_

"Someone hacked into my network and eliminated several records having to do with Osco and Wyatt," Liara told her. "I do not know how they were able to get in. Are you all right? Was the _Normandy_ compromised?"

_{Negative. I was easily able to hold the hostile out of my systems and purge initial attempts. I must report this incident to the Captain and Engineer Adams. Your systems will have to remain isolated from all __**Normandy's**__ functions until we can be sure it is scrubbed of any possible threat.}_

_There goes my entire network_, Liara thought bitterly. She could not receive nor process any information without direct link in with QEC and EDI's transmission protocols. She was more or less completely useless as the Broker until they were able to correct the issue and ascertain how the attack had happened, and who was behind it.

She would have to send a message to Feron through regular channels. He already knew her identity as the Broker and so she would not be compromised, and he would be able to at least monitor the system until she could get back online.

In the mean time she desperately needed to speak to Nan.


	35. Chapter 35

Human tea, Liara had discovered, was far weaker to the palate than the teas asari usually enjoyed. Nan had provided her a cup almost ten minutes ago, and Liara had barely tasted it. Now she merely paced, clutching the mug between two hands as if she would fly away into the ether if she loosened her grip.

"No one ever knew Del had a sister," Nan was saying. "At least Jaia still had the presence of mind to take her to the hospital. I wish she'd done that with Del, the poor sweetheart. Would have saved her a lot of pain."

"Agreed," Liara told her. "I am...greatly troubled by this, Nan. Osco, Wyatt, Lawson, and Del's own sister- all together in that photo."

"Seems a bit too coincidental," Nan nodded. "One thing I've learned about this life, there are very few _true_ coincidences."

"What does it all mean?" Liara whispered, pausing as she looked into her now cold tea. "Osco helping Lawson with his so-called legacy…I can understand that. But how did Wyatt get involved? How did Inna get there? She would have been thirteen at the time."

"Did this Lawson adopt her maybe?"

"I do not think so. There are no records of him having adopted any children before he started on his project. There were four attempts before Miranda, attempts that he 'discarded' when they proved not perfect enough to his liking. Miranda told me herself that she was not the first he had made, only the first he had kept. Then again, there's precious few records of _anything_ now, thanks to our mystery hacker. Cleaning intel off the extranet is one thing, but this hacker infiltrated my broker network directly, and nearly infiltrated the _Normandy_. That should not be possible. I-"

Del came striding into the nearly empty mess, her entrance halting Liara mid-speech. The asari felt herself stiffen, her hands tightening on the mug, and she hated herself for her reaction.

"All right," the captain demanded without preamble. "I want to know what's going on. How did someone get into the broker network and nearly into my ship systems?"

"We're not certain, Del," Nan told her in a remarkably calm voice. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll get you some coffee."

She rose and went toward the percolator as Del turned her eyes to Liara, making no move to sit down. For a moment, the two women simply stared at one another, before Shepard's eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly. Liara breathed an inward sigh of relief at that. It was a small sign, perhaps, but any indication that Del still cared for her gave her hope.

"What's _going on_, Tianlán?"

"It is a very long story, Del," Liara told her gently. "One I still do not have all the answers to."

"Here," Nan returned with the coffee, setting it on the table beside Shepard. "Sit. We have a lot to discuss."

Shepard sat down, Liara and Nan also taking their seats. At the current hour all but the night crew was fast asleep, and there was little chance of being overheard or interrupted. Liara studied Shepard's face unconsciously, noting the weary shadows under her eyes, the line forming between her brows and at the corners of her mouth.

_She looks older. She looks as if she is aging years with each day that goes by._

"This is gonna be a lot for you to take, honey," Nan told her gently. Trying to be as patient and dispassionate as she was able to, Liara informed Del of what she suspected and all that she had learned since Del had stormed out of the Nest earlier that evening.

She did not hide any of it, though as she explained her suspicions about what Wyatt had truly done to Del she could see the human captain's face grow stony once again, her muscles visibly knotting beneath her black tank top.

Not daring to stop for fear she would never be able to start again, she continued with what she had discovered just before the broker network had been hacked. She finally trailed off to an awkward conclusion, and for a long moment Shepard just sat there in tense silence, eyes unfocused and fixed to a random spot between the two women.

"So," she said at last, her voice low and frustratingly neutral. "I'm not going crazy."

"No," Nan replied. "No, you're not…but someone's gone to a great deal of trouble to make you _think_ that you are. According to Mordin that would help speed up the process."

"This…indoctrination," Liara murmured, "Its purpose is to do nothing more than to make you think like _they_ do. I do not believe they have any wish to compromise your skills, your command, or your tactical thinking. They just want you to-"

"Become a goddamned bigot," Shepard glowered.

"Yes," Nan agreed candidly. "Pretty much. If you think like they do, then you'll work to further _their _ends…because they'll be _your_ ends as well."

"If I do that, there are no treaties. No treaties, then everyone goes their own way and tries to fight the Reapers alone. No krogan aid on Palaven, no turian fleets around Earth…we'll be fucking wiped out! Don't they _understand_ that?"

"No, they do not," Liara admitted. "They think humanity is strong enough to stand on its own, that you do not need help to fight the Reapers. They are blind, Del. Blind in their own illusion of power and supremacy. With you on their side, you will fight only for Earth's interests, for _human_ interests. The rest of the galaxy will be slaughtered, but with you they believe the war can be won for Earth, and leave humanity not only the most powerful force in the galaxy, but the _only_ force."

"Only they really know what's going on in their heads, but that seems most likely," Nan said.

"Mordin is confident he can fix this," Liara insisted, unconsciously reaching forward and laying her hand over Del's. Shepard blinked and stiffened, drawing her hand back from the touch, and the asari felt a stab of hurt, sheepishly withdrawing her own again.

"Mordin's got bigger things on his mind," Shepard told them. "He's got to cure the genophage."

"He's pointed us to some resources, some colleagues of his," Nan shook her head. "He's promised to help look over the data and give suggestions when he can. By the time he can devote his full energy to this perhaps we'll have a head start. You _knowing _what's going on will help as well. You can better resist something you're prepared for."

Shepard rubbed her fingers roughly over her forehead, sipped almost absent-mindedly at her coffee. "Wyatt being _alive_ would be the biggest help," she grumbled. Liara stiffened.

"Do you think it is _possible_ I could feel _any_ worse about that?" she asked tersely. Nan blinked in surprise and Shepard lifted her brows a little.

"I don't know, _is it_?" she asked just as tersely.

"Now, stop it," Nan ordered. "Del, Liara is doing everything she can to help you-"

"Yeah, including _killing_ the _one fucker_ who could give us answers! _Real helpful_."

"Del-" Liara began, only to be startled by Nan as the small woman abruptly slammed a palm sharply on the table.

"Delilah Spruce Shepard you _stop that this instant_!" she barked in a voice more firm than the asari could have even imagined she was capable of producing. Had it come from anyone else, Del would have been on her feet, ready to unleash a whirlwind of retribution. Instead, the captain actually seemed to shrink a little, blinking in bewildered stupification.

"I'm…I'm _sorry_, Liara," she said in a low, ragged voice. She scrubbed at her forehead again, and sighed. "I didn't mean it."

Liara nodded faintly. "I am sorry too," she said softly. "If I had known…if I had _any_ idea of what he had truly done-"

"Forget it," Del grumbled. "Right now our concerns need to be focused on this hacker. We're heading to the Folly. I approved the course change before I came down here. Wilcher's got some skilled engineers and programmers in Thanatos. They're going to go over every damn bit of software and line of code in this ship, see if they can't figure out how the hacker got into your network and nearly got into EDI. What I wouldn't _give_ to have Tali here."

"The Migrant Fleet is still missing?" Liara asked.

"Yeah. Completely vanished. I can only hope they're safe somewhere. That they didn't-…well."

Liara understood and shared Shepard's worry. If the Flotilla had run afoul of the Reapers, then the quarians could very well have been obliterated, Tali among them. That Shepard was still concerned for the quarian girl she called her Mei-Mei was another encouraging sign that this indoctrination was far from complete.

After a long moment of silence, Nan inclined her head a little. "Del?" she prodded. The captain snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the older woman.

"What?"

"Are you not the least bit concerned about what else Liara told you?" she asked. "About your sister?"

Shepard shrugged. "I'm concerned about the involvement of Osco, Wyatt, and Lawson and how this Inna might fit into that. A man with a daughter who was in Cerberus, a madwoman who used to work for Cerberus, Wyatt who shares a lot of Cerberus 'humanity empowerment' ideals…this whole thing stinks of the Illusive Man, you ask me. As for knowing she's probably my sister…" she shrugged again.

"You do not feel _anything_ for her?" Liara asked.

"Not really. I don't know her, and I didn't exactly have any affection whatsoever for my parents. We may have been unfortunate enough to pop out of the same diseased womb but she's a complete stranger to me."

"Would Miranda know more?"

"Possible, but unlikely. If she did I'm sure she would have told me a while ago. Then again," Shepard chuckled bitterly, "seems _everyone's_ got their little goddamn secrets."

Her eyes fixed to Liara's again before they dropped abruptly, and she rose. "Well. As long as I'm awake I've got work to do. We'll be at the Folly by morning, try and figure this mess out. If you'll excuse me."

"Del," Nan began, only to be fixed with a stern glare. This time, she did not press it, watching in silence as Del rinsed her mug and left the mess.

As soon as she stepped out Liara seemed to fold, covering her face with her hands. Reaching over, Nan put her arm around her shoulders and held her tight.

"Keep faith, sweet thing," she reassured. "She's still our Del in there. Keep faith, and things will turn out all right."

* * *

Folsberg, or 'the Folly' as it was affectionately called, was a moon that was home to the underground base of Thanatos, an ad hoc corsair group made up mostly of former Alliance. Until recently led by Sydney Rasler, the group had since fallen to her second in command, Samson Wilcher.

The big man was waiting at the end of the ramp as the _Normandy_ powered down, personnel disembarking at the forward airlock. Massive, scarred, with a craggy glower, Wilcher all but dwarfed the tiny redheaded engineer standing at his side.

Waiting until the lock was clear, the pair moved up the ramp and stepped on board, heading for the CIC, where Shepard was waiting with a few others. The little redhead, Ori, locked her eyes immediately on EDI's mobile chassis and honed in like a vulture going after prey.

"Shiny!" she exclaimed, scrutinizing the form with a geek's eye. EDI watched her curiously, making no objection even when Ori poked lightly at her shoulder.

"Polymemetic silicone and carbon fibers, in such a tight blend…I never would have thought!" she gushed. "EDI, no offense, but I would _love_ to dissect you."

"None taken," EDI told her with some amusement. "I will allow you to dissect me if you allow me to dissect you. I have always been fascinated with the inner workings of organics."

Ori blinked at her and EDI lifted a brow. "That was a joke."

Wilcher snorted with amusement and then offered his hand to Del. "Captain, it's good to have you here again."

"Good to be here, Wilcher," Del told him, her tone still holding a touch of sadness.

"I'm so sorry about Sydney," he murmured. "She was quite a lady. Things just won't be the same around here without her."

"_Nothing_ will be," Del agreed softly, then cleared her throat. "We need a quick once over, routine checks and maintenance. I have a new toy down in the cargo hold that I'd like to finish integrating with either a VI pilot or to be remotely controlled by EDI's combat suites."

"Can do," he grinned. "New toy huh? Can't wait to see it."

"It's fucking _gorgeous_," she said through a lopsided grin. "Most importantly, however, I need your top programmers and engineers. Someone hacked into Liara's broker network and nearly into EDI with…_unacceptable_ ease. I want the system code gone over line by line if need be. Find out exactly _how_ the hacker got in and how we can _stop_ them from doing so again."

"That's quite alarming," Ori interjected. "The broker network is one of the most secure in the entire galaxy. It would take a team of data specialists over a year to even begin to penetrate its defenses. That or an extremely sophisticated AI."

"Could it have been the Reapers?" Wilcher asked.

"I doubt it," Shepard told him. "If it _had_ been, they'd simply have dropped the defenses and come in for the kill. The information that was accessed and erased was extremely specific and, as far as I'm aware, had nothing to do with the Reapers _or_ our defenses."

"I'll have to go over EDI's lines of code as well," Ori told her. "They'd have had to at least get past her communications filters to access the broker network over the QEC, and if they started to infiltrate her as well that means they found a back gate."

"Do it, but be careful. I will not have her changed or compromised in any way," Shepard warned.

"Thank you, Captain," EDI replied, pleased.

"I'll wear kid gloves, I swear," Ori promised, winding an arm around EDI's shoulders.

Shepard nodded. "All right. Wilcher, why don't you come with me down to the cargo hold. Get a look at my new toy."

* * *

The fighter squatted on the floor of the cargo hold like a viper coiled and ready to strike. Wilcher whistled with pure, unadulterated admiration as he stroked a hand over its hull.

"This is _quite_ a girl," he touted approvingly. "Never seen one quite like this."

"She's a prototype," Shepard told him. "I sent the plans to the Alliance. Hopefully they can make more."

"She's rigged for full VI control?"

"According to the man that built her, yes. The software just needs to be programmed for integration. He said even an office VI would do."

"There's a few floating around the base," he said, leaning on the side and peering into the cockpit. "Prone seating, zero-mass fields, _very nice._ Anyway, I should be able to liberate one of the VIs and input it into the control systems. EDI will be able to override it and take control herself at any time if she feels the need. It's gonna take several hours though."

"That's fine," Shepard said. "I do have another favor I wanted to ask you, Wilcher."

Turning, the big man put his back to the fighter and folded his arms, nodding. "Hit me."

"The Alliance is building a weapon that we believe may be capable of destroying or at least incapacitating the Reapers. It's our only real shot at halting this war for good, but as you can imagine, resources are precious right now. We're throwing everything we can at them but it's slow going. Thanatos would be an _immense_ help in that capacity. You have the expertise, you have the personnel."

He scrubbed his fingers over his chin, bristles making a sandpaper sound against his calloused skin. "Hell, half my people have been chomping at the bit at a way to get into this war," he told her. "Ship repair and requisitions just don't cut it when you know those things are slaughtering people by the hundreds of thousands. You sure this weapon will work?

"We can't be sure of anything," she admitted. "But it's a shot, and likely the only one we have."

He nodded. "You got it. Give me the contacts I need to get the ball rolling and I'll start prepping my people to transport to this Project. I have some of our resource connections that we're still in touch with as well. I can get a few tons of platinum, palladium, gold, nickel, and titanium if they're needed."

"Do it. Thank you, Wilcher."

"Glad to be doing _something_ for the war. I was going crazy myself. Ready to hop into one of our old fighters and head to Earth, see how many I could take out before they returned the favor. This plan has higher survival odds."

Shepard smiled at him, then nodded. "I'd better get back up to the CIC. I still have a lot of work."

She started to step toward the lift when he called after her. "Hey, what's up with you and Blue?"

She halted, looking at him with knit brows. "Liara? Why do you ask?"

He shrugged a little. "You two were both standing in the CIC and barely looked at each other. Last time I saw you, you couldn't keep your eyes _off_ of each other. Things all right?"

"We're fine," Shepard said quietly, and continued on her way toward the lift.

"Uh huh," Wilcher grunted under his breath, utterly unconvinced.

* * *

The gym on the Folly flanked the zero-gee ball court. The last time Liara had been in there was when Sydney had been alive. Things were still too fresh and already it seemed as if Syd's ghost lingered in every corner of this place.

The gym, however, that was all right, and physical exertion was still one of the best ways Del had to get her mind off of things. Not finding the woman anywhere on the _Normandy_, this was the next most logical location. Sure enough, here she was.

Dressed in sweats and a tank, barefoot and shining with perspiration, the human woman gripped a chin-up bar and lifted herself rhythmically off the ground. Her back was to the door, and Liara could see the gleaming golds and yellows and reds of her Phoenix tattoo shifting almost hypnotically with every movement of her muscles.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious and awkward, Liara lingered just within the door, sadly watching her. The distance between them was only a few yards but to the asari, it felt as if an enormous chasm separated them.

_Marry me._

Shepard had seemed so relaxed, so happy, so _passionate_ when she'd said those words. Liara wondered if she still meant them.

_Wyatt hurt her so much worse than even he may have thought possible,_ she thought. Her heart ached and tears abruptly heated the back of her eyes. _Are we never to be happy? Is she doomed to be emotionally torn apart again and again until there is nothing of her left? Goddess, what was our crime? What did we do to deserve such agony?_

Shepard abruptly released the bar, dropping to the ground. Plucking up a towel from nearby she wiped it over her face, then half turned her head.

"You may as well come in."

Liara colored a little, but stepped closer. "I was looking for you."

Shepard slung the towel over her shoulders, but Liara could see the tension still in them. The anger boiling just beneath Del's flesh was an almost palpable thing. "Well, here I am."

"Del, I am sorry," Liara told her. "If I had known what Wyatt truly had done-"

"That's not the _point_, Liara," Shepard snapped, dark eyes shifting like smoldering embers. "You took that man from prison and you _killed _him. No matter what he'd done, no matter who he hurt, it doesn't justify you doing that!"

"You would have-"

"That's because I'm _broken_, Liara!" Shepard spat. "I'm fundamentally and irreversibly _goddamn broken_ inside, and you know it! _Everyone fucking knows it! _I'm a killer bred to follow orders and to eliminate problems. Without the Alliance I'd probably be a psychopath on the streets of New York, slaughtering innocent people-"

"You do not believe that!"

"_Fuck_," Shepard snapped the towel off her shoulders and stalked a few feet away. "I don't know _what_ the fuck I believe any more. I don't know what is _me_ anymore and not that sick little jackass's doing. You're supposed to be _better_ than me! I took this…this sweet naïve archaeologist and I _ruined_ her. I corrupted her by daring to think I had any _right_ to be happy-"

"Del," Liara whispered, brows knit and eyes swimming. She stepped forward, winding her arms around Shepard's shoulders from behind. Shepard made a weak attempt to pull away, and Liara was easily able to maintain her hold. Had Del truly wanted to break free the asari could not have stopped her short of biotics.

Lowering her head to Shepard's shoulder, Liara closed her eyes and felt the tears start to flow. After a moment a shaking hand lifted and lightly clung to her arm, and she heard a muffled sob come from her love.

"I just…I don't want you to turn into _me_," Del said thickly. "You deserve so much better."

"You are the most amazing person that I have ever met," Liara whispered in her ear. "I do not regret a single moment spent with you. Do you understand me? Not a _single moment_. _I __**love**__ you_, and that is never going to change."

"But _I _will," Shepard whispered back. "I can feel it, Li. I can hear it in my head. Thoughts that are mine but…but they're not. They're changing me…_he's_ changing me. I hate myself for those thoughts. I won't let him change me into something that horrible."

"You will fight, as you always do," Liara told her. "And we _will_ find the answers. Just…do not give up on us. Do not give up on _me_."

Shepard hung her head, locks of sweat-soaked hair hanging in curtains around her face. Liara held her tighter, shaking her head.

"I love you, Del Shepard," Liara affirmed. "I love you so m-"

She broke off as Del turned around in her arms, dropping her towel and winding her arms around Liara's waist, kissing her with an almost desperate force.

"_I love you too_," she promised. "Li, no matter what I may say or do, _please_ believe that. Please believe that I love you and I always will."

"_I will_." Liara gently swept the damp hair back from Del's cheeks, meeting her eyes. "I know your heart, Shepard, and I will _never_ believe anything else."

Del kissed her again, planting a briefer, secondary kiss almost roughly on her cheek before she pulled away and strode for the door, half bending to sweep up her towel again as she did so. Watching her go helplessly, Liara wound her arms around herself and lowered her head.

* * *

"Your people stare too much," Javik noted with a derisive snort as he walked alongside the limping Joker. He was noting the looks he kept getting from the Thanatos workers, returning each fascinated gaze with a glowering one of his own.

"Well, you can't blame them, can you? I mean, your kind have been dead for a few eons, who wouldn't stare?"

"Civilized people would not stare," Javik told him. "Nor would we have pilots as fragile as you."

"Well aren't you special?" Jeff smirked. "Regular ray of sunshine. You know, I'm _glad_ you're here."

"Why?"

"Best comedy acts always have a straight man, and you play one like nobody's business."

"I am not a 'straight man,'" Javik noted, lifting a lip in disdain.

"No? Then how come you're following me around all the time, hmm? I mean, if it's not to take advantage of my excellent comedic timing?"

"You-…" Javik began, then hesitated, narrowing all four of his eyes before lowering his head. "You are the only one who will talk to me."

"Oh really?" Jeff blinked. "I figured Liara would yap your ear off. I mean, a real life _Prothean_. She's been studying your people since she was a tadpole."

"I said _talk_ to me," Javik growled. "Not pester me with unending questions and exhaustive theories. Are all asari so insufferable these days?"

"Oh yeah. It's a good thing they're hot."

"Hot? You are referring to their sexual desirability?" Javik asked, then visibly shuddered. "Repulsive."

"You don't think asari are hot?" Joker asked as they disembarked the lift on the crew deck. "_Really_?"

"They don't have enough eyes," Javik pointed out. "Their skulls are too small, and not enough-…"

"Not enough _what_?" Joker pressed with a smirk as they entered the medical bay.

"Tentacles," Javik replied, then glowered as Joker began to sputter, turning bright red. "What is wrong with _you_?"

"Nothing," Joker gasped, fighting frantically not to burst out laughing. "I'm just suddenly afraid of what a Prothean woman looks like. Hey Eve!"

"Hello, Jeff," Eve greeted, then looked balefully at Javik, who pointed.

"This is a krogan!" he declared.

"_Her_ name is _Eve_," Joker emphasized.

"The krogan walked on all fours in my cycle. They have space travel? How quickly did they develop?"

"They-"

"_We_," Eve interrupted Jeff with a pointed look, "had an unexpected 'boost' from the salarians. They advanced our species, gave us technology we were decades, if not centuries, away from developing ourselves. However, we learned how to walk on two legs _all on our own_."

"Ah, you were uplifted. I see."

"Don't mind him, Eve, he's only got two speeds. 'Rude' and 'asleep'."

"He'd make a fine krogan then," she surmised with an amused snort.

Continuing on, Jeff stepped from the medical bay into the AI core, where Ori and two other programmers were carefully examining EDI's programming protocols. EDI's mobile platform was there as well, observing.

"I'm here," Joker announced, then jabbed a thumb toward Javik. "And I brought the life of the party."

"Good, we can use some more eyes," Ori said without looking up. "Are you familiar with text-key and ultrabinoptic sequence languages?"

"I…once got a B in Spanish, does that count?"

Ori sniffed and shook her head with a smirk, before pointing at a read-out. "Just keep an eye on that and tell me if any _non_-prime numbers appear. You do know what prime numbers are, don't you?"

"Yeah, I got it," he chuckled, moving over to the read-out.

Meanwhile, Javik was scrutinizing EDI. Given his limited interactions with the crew, he had not seen her mobile chassis before.

"This…this is a synthetic?" he asked.

"I am an AI," EDI said helpfully. "This is a mobile platform I use to better interact with the crew on a familiar level."

"Why is this here? Who allowed this to be here?" Javik accused, suddenly angry. Joker turned his head, frowning.

"Hey, she's got every right to be here," he defended. "What's _your_ problem?"

"Synthetics are only trouble," he declared. "It is dangerous, it should not be here. Why does Captain Shepard allow this?"

Joker started forward, hands balled into fists, but EDI lifted a palm and stopped him.

"Captain Shepard does not believe in treating each individual of a kind by the actions of others like them," she told him. "She and the crew judge everyone on their own merits alone. For example, were another Prothean to be on board, he would not be judged as lesser despite _your_ actions."

Joker clapped a hand over his mouth and Javik stiffened. "Synthetics are trouble," he grumped. "I will be elsewhere."

He turned and strode out amid the sounds of barely stifled laughter coming from Ori and her men. Once he'd gone, EDI looked at Joker.

"I believe that was what is commonly termed as a 'burn'. Did I do it correctly?"

No longer stifled, the bellowing laughter from those around her answered her question to her satisfaction.


	36. Chapter 36

Ori's green eyes followed the shifting lines of code, monitoring the process program with a scrutiny that bordered on the spooky. The code ended and her assistant nodded.

"End of section 15a, all clear."

"Only three thousand sections to go." Ori straightened her shoulders sharply and cracked her neck. "Short break. I'm going to see where the second team is. They should be done with the fighter by now."

Heading through the mess, she grabbed a cup of coffee and sipped at it as she rode the lift down to the cargo hold. She had not yet seen the fighter, and when she stepped out of the lift and caught sight of it, she suddenly understood why Wilcher had been all but drooling over it. He grinned as he caught sight of her, waving her over.

"Hey, Ori, come see!"

"She's definitely a beautiful bird." Unable to resist, Ori let one hand stroke over the smooth metal plates. "Think Shep will share?"

"Are you kidding? I think she kisses it goodnight," he joked, lighting his omni-tool. "Check this out. I just finished integrating the VI pilot interface."

"Oh? You found one that worked?"

"You could say that."

He activated the VI, amusement dancing over his face. A likeness of Captain Shepard appeared beside the fighter. Ori broke out in laughter, grinning widely.

"Oh, that's _wonderful_! Where'd you get it?"

"Joker, who else? You remember, when the _Normandy_ was being refit Del had this following Joker around like an obnoxious puppy?"

"That's right! I do remember. I hope you fixed her voice."

"Yeah, it's retuned. Sounds like the real one now, and doesn't go off every five minutes talking about asari. I just need to go through a little testing, make sure all the response algorithms work and we're good to go. Oh, that reminds me. I need my daigo sim pad to really put it through the paces without having the fighter actually go zipping around the place. I left it in the west work room. Mind grabbing it for me?"

"Sure, I have a couple things I should pick up as well. I'll get it."

Leaving the _Normandy_ via the open cargo bay ramp, Ori crossed the huge workroom floor and into the base proper. Picking up a few things, she stopped by the west work room to look for Wilcher's sim pad, most of her mind on EDI, trying to figure the logistics of recreating the mobile chassis.

_There have to be plans somewhere. I'm sure Liara could find them, even if it was Cerberus that built her. Wouldn't make them true AI's of course but as VI-driven platforms they could be extremely handy. Good Lord, Wilcher, you are the most unorganized man I know. Where is that bloody pad?_

She finally spotted it amongst some other randomly scattered tools and let out an _aha_! Just as her fingers closed on it, however, the light in the room suddenly dimmed and turned crimson.

An alarm began to wail.

* * *

Shepard, supervising the crews scanning the _Normandy_ environmental systems in the CIC, heard the muffled but unmistakable wail of an alarm echoing from outside the ship. Haley was lingering nearby, his head snapping up almost in concert with hers.

Instantly Haley began activating a helm-link console as Shepard looked upward. "Wilcher! What the _hell_ is going on?"

_{My systems are reporting hostile ships entering the system. Two frigates,}_ Wilcher reported. _{Ladar is painting them Cerberus!}_

Haley turned his head. "Ma'am, I've got them on our ladar as well. Delta-Class Frigates, pinging Cerberus. They are on a direct course for Folsberg, ETA less than five minutes."

"Wilcher! What exterior defenses do we have?" Shepard pointed at Haley again. "Get the crew locked down and the _Normandy_ closed up!"

_{We have AC guns and a barrier system, but it they won't last long against the firepower of two full frigate.}_

"Start evacuation protocols! If I can get the _Normandy_ into the air I can take the fight to them and allow your people to get a running start at that relay."

_{You try and lift the __**Normandy **__up through the launch shaft you'll be a sitting target. It'll be like shooting a dead fish in a barrel!}_

"We need a distraction to draw their fire away while the _Normandy_ launches! Is that fighter ready?"

_{I haven't been able to test it yet but it's fully integrated-} _

"Looks like we're going to have a live test then. Get it ready to go and get your people ready to evac!"

She headed for the airlock as she saw Joker limp onto the deck, moving as fast as he could toward the helm.

"Joker, get us powered up and ready to launch on my signal," she ordered, and ran out of the airlock, down the ramp and to the workroom floor.

People were rushing everywhere, several shuttles nearby already powering up and being loaded. Weaving through the chaotic throng Shepard finally spotted Liara and Nan, hurrying toward her.

"What is happening?" Liara asked as Shepard caught her hand, turning and ushering them toward the _Normandy_.

"There are two Cerberus frigates bearing down on the Folly. Seems the Illusive Man remembered about Thanatos."

She felt the distant rumble under her feet, the only sign the AC guns had begun to fire. They didn't have very long before the frigates would take them out, and then concentrate their fire on the base. The Folly might be a thousand feet beneath rock and dirt but it would not take much bombardment to either penetrate through to the base, bury it beyond any hope of recovery, or find a fault line and simply break the tiny moon apart.

The three quickly ran up the ramp, Shepard waving a few more people aboard before ordering the airlock closed. The _Normandy_, engines idling, was rumbling like a panther ready to go after its prey.

"We've got to get out there and cover the shuttles or they won't stand a chance. Joker! Are we sealed?"

"Cargo bay is still open. Wilcher is moving the fighter out onto the open deck-"

The entire ship suddenly shuddered as the view screens on the cockpit lit up with a bloom of orange and red. Shepard instinctively lifted a hand against it before she realized it was outside of the ship.

"What happened?"

"Cerberus somehow overrode the docking blast doors," Joker quickly reported, frantically going over his screens. "They're halfway open. Atmo barriers are holding but they planted a lucky shot and took out one of the shuttles!"

"Fuck! We need out there _now_! _Wilcher_!"

_{Fighter is nearly ready! I've got it out on deck, powering up! You there! Brandt! Help Ori get those people onto that shuttle!}_

The air lit up again, another shot screaming through the atmo barriers and slamming into the flank of one of the loading shuttles. Its eezo core went up, consuming the vehicle and those trying to load onto it in a ball of fire and dark energy. Almost immediately on the flank of that terrible noise was another one, as Wilcher cried out.

_{ORI!}_

"Fuck! _Vega! Garrus! Get him_!" Shepard didn't pause, turning and sprinting through the CIC, Liara on her heels.

* * *

They ran through the still open cargo bay to see not only Vega and Garrus, but Cortez struggling with the massive Wilcher, who was doing his best to tear free of them. Vega hooked his feet out from under him and the three all but pinned him to the ground, but still he fought, trying to get back to his feet. All the while he was spitting and cursing and calling out Ori's name, red-faced and unabashedly weeping.

"_Get him inside_!"

She rushed past the tangled knot and the hovering fighter and toward the few coughing and wounded, battered forms who had been just outside the shuttle's blast radius.

Gripping one man with a broken leg she hauled him up, slinging an arm around him and half carrying him toward the ramp as Liara assisted the others.

"EDI! I need you to remotely activate the fighter! Get it launched and distract those frigates long enough to get the _Normandy_ into the black!"

_{Activating fighter now, Shepard.}_

The men had gotten Wilcher into the cargo bay. Shepard urged Liara and the other survivors up the ramp first, glancing back as the fighter lifted up into the air and zipped toward the launch tube, before following.

"We're clear! Close us up, Joker! Get ready to fly!"

The cargo doors started to close as Shepard lowered the man she was supporting into a sit. Spotting Chakwas and Nan rushing toward them she waved them over, then left his side and headed over to Wilcher.

He had stopped fighting, and was sitting slumped beside some boxes, knees drawn up and hands dangling over them. His head was bowed forward, only the faint gasps of breath revealing the fact that he was sobbing.

She looked at Vega, who was sporting a rather lovely black eye, and gestured at him and Cortez. "Get these people secure. Garrus, I need you in the battery."

They dispersed with silent nods, and Shepard went down to one knee at Wilcher's side, resting her hand on his shoulder.

He waved a calloused hand abruptly, before self-consciously scrubbing it over his face. Shepard said nothing, her fingers brushing lightly over the stiff bristles on his head a moment before she rose and ran for the lift.

The CIC was in chaos. Ignoring it, she pelted straight for the helm. "Joker!"

EDI, who was hovering behind the pilot's chair, looked over at her. "I have one frigate disabled, Shepard. The fighter's swarm was able to cripple its maneuvering and compromise part of its weapons systems, and its barriers are down. It is in a slow roll and cannot stabilize. The other frigate is breaking off to engage the fighter."

"Keep hitting them, keep their focus on the Sabre. Joker, get us up that launch tube and the moment you see those bastards, you start hitting them."

The _Normandy_ lifted off the deck and began to rise, the walls of the launch tube and then the flare of the atmo-barrier sliding past them. The deep heavy dark of space replaced cold metal and as the tiny moon retreated below them, Joker's fingers flew.

"Turning to bear on the frigates. EDI, give 'em hell!"

"Engaging."

The _Normandy's_ weapon systems lit up. Even as the ship banked to bear on the frigates, the main gun slashed into the disabled one, cutting it neatly in half. The other frigate was firing, trying to take out the swift fighter which was darting around it like a sparrow harassing a hawk. The Sabre had already caused significant damage along the hull but even from here, Shepard could see the hated yellow, black, and white markings of Cerberus.

As Joker put it in their sights the fighter cleared the way, and they started the attack. Shepard looked from the view screen to an image on Joker's left, noting the shuttles were starting to emerge from the launch tube a breath before Joker announced it.

"Shuttles are clearing, we've got two minutes before they can hit that relay."

"Protect those shuttles at all costs."

The frigate had reoriented itself and fired. Shepard felt the bulkhead beneath her feet shudder a little even as Joker banked out of the way and EDI returned fire.

"Our barriers are down to seventy percent but still holding," EDI told her. "There is no significant damage to the ship."

"Can you get that fighter in to hit their core?"

"We will have to halt the _Normandy's_ fire for exactly twenty three seconds for me to be able to do so, or else risk that the fighter be destroyed in crossfire."

"We halt our shooting and that frigate takes out those shuttles. We have to risk it. Keep firing and get the fighter in there if you can."

"Yes, Captain."

Outside the warring ships, the relatively tiny fighter darted and slipped through streams of ordinance being fired in both directions. The Cerberus frigate landed another lucky shot, the _Normandy's_ barriers flaring again before it had to swing out of the way. The main gun ignited, ripping through the Cerberus vessel's barriers just as the Sabre swept in under its belly.

Five shots planted neatly along its gut, the fourth striking a fatal wound. The frigate began to shift forward, rotating on the horizontal as the eezo core was compromised. The fighter darted away from it just as the explosion of uncontained dark energy swelled the frigate and then tore it apart.

Shepard's look of grim intent softened slightly into one of satisfaction, and she nodded, lightly gripping Joker's shoulder a moment.

"Make sure all the shuttles have cleared safely and make sure no one has been left behind on the base," she said. "Then follow them into the relay. I'll be downstairs."

* * *

Wilcher had recovered himself and was standing stiffly outside the infirmary while Chakwas and the medical team dealt with the few wounded they had gotten aboard. Liara stood beside him, her slim blue fingers wound in his hand, almost swallowed by it.

His reddened eyes shifted to Del as she came in, and he nodded. She could tell by his posture that he was dealing with his grief much the same way she usually dealt with hers. He was turning it into anger.

"Thank you for your help," he said as she walked up. "We get everyone?"

"Joker's doing a final check to make sure the base completely evacuated, but it looks like all the survivors got clear. We'll take you to the Citadel, and I'll notify Hackett that Thanatos is on their way to help with the Crucible. That is…if that's still the plan?"

"Yeah, it is. You going after Cerberus?"

"Our primary mission is still to garner any aid we can for Earth. My main focus has to be that…but yes. Truth be told I plan to find a way to erase Cerberus every chance I get."

"Good." He nodded, then sighed. "Ori-…wouldn't want me to go all 'angry bear' and throw myself into some stupid quest for vengeance. That said, you _promise_ me one thing, Del."

"Anything."

"If you find the Illusive Man, if you figure out what deep, shit-filled hole that bastard is squirreling himself away in and plan on blowing him off the map, you let me know. I want to _be_ there."

Her face held nothing but resolve. "You got it, Wilcher. You're damn right I will."

* * *

As Shepard stepped away, Liara gave Wilcher's hand a squeeze, murmuring softly to him a moment before pursuing the human captain.

"Are you all right?"

Del summoned the lift, taking a deep breath. "I lost another friend. How would you feel?"

"She was my friend too," Liara said sadly. "They _all_ were."

"I…know. I know, Tianlán. I'm sorry, I just…God, I want to _kill_ that fucker. He does nothing but sow hate and murder and plain goddamn _evil_ everywhere he goes."

Liara, of course, did not need to ask to know that Del was referring to the Illusive Man. The pair stepped into the lift and as it started to descend, Liara tentatively reached out and touched Shepard's hand. When the human woman's did not shift to take hers, she felt her gut sink a little. Things were still far from all right.

"Without Ori's expertise, it is going to take much longer to finish examining the ship's systems."

Liara's words were tentative, but needed saying. It was obvious to the asari that Del was trying to be as neutral as possible. Too many emotions were raging their storm within her, and holding on to them tightly was the only form of control that Shepard felt able to exert.

"We'll dock as long as we can but Mordin's nearly ready with his cure, and the _Normandy_ can't just stay idle at the Citadel. On the other hand, with your broker network down a lot of the war effort is going to be severely hampered. _Shit._ Can nothing ever be fucking _easy_?"

The doors opened on the cargo deck, revealing Allers standing there, her pesky little hover-cam idly drifting just over her shoulder.

"Oh, Captain, I-"

"_Later_, Allers."

Del abruptly pushed past her and headed toward Cortez. Allers lifted her eyebrows and then looked at Liara.

"I am sorry, Diana. She is…_tense_ right now."

"I can understand that. I was in the cargo hold during the evacuation. Is that big guy going to be ok?"

"Wilcher? He just lost his best friend and only love," Liara said. "It will be a long time before 'okay' even factors into it. You were down here filming the evac?"

Allers held up her hands. "I stayed out of the way. No one even noticed me. Besides, I have to clear all the footage through the Captain before I can air it anyway, so no worries that anything 'classified' is going to get out onto the extranet."

"I see. If you will excuse me."

"Sure," Allers said to Liara's back, as the asari walked away from her and across the cargo deck. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she stepped onto the lift. She was still staring intently at the asari as the doors slid shut.

* * *

It was extremely late that night when Del returned to the Nest. They had docked at the Citadel, and her afternoon had been filled with coordinating with Admiral Hackett and the remnants of Thanatos. Most of the group was going to move on to Alliance transports to rendezvous with the Crucible. They were leaving in the morning. Wilcher and a pair of the programmers had decided to stay on the _Normandy_ for a while, to help finish tracking down the point of infiltration in her systems and secure them against any further hacking attempts.

The programmers were two of the best ones that he had left, but they were no Ori and most certainly no Tali, and it was going to take them at least forty-eight hours to complete their work. They were aware that the _Normandy_ could not stay at the Citadel that long, and they may be stuck aboard as temporary crew until they were able to get them to the Crucible.

Shepard's entire being seemed to vibrate with need for sleep, yet at the same time she felt almost repulsed by the very idea of laying down and closing her eyes.

Slipping out of her uniform jacket and kicking off her boots, she turned on some Flatwood and plucked a bottle of whiskey out of the bedside stand. Sitting down on the mattress, she spun the cap off and tossed it idly aside, before she took a swig directly from the neck.

"Captain?"

She ignored the voice, taking another swig. Some part of her mind seemed to actively refuse to hear it, convinced it was merely another sign of the false psychosis that Wyatt and his mysterious compatriots were trying to impress on her.

"Captain?"

Her gaze finally shifted to the steps and there stood Traynor, watching her with the timidity of a field mouse gauging a cat. Shepard made a sound that could have been anything from irritation to a greeting, and set the whiskey to the side, picking up her cigar case and snapping it open.

"These are my quarters, Traynor. Don't you know how to knock?"

"I'm sorry, Captain. I do, but I was rather sure if I did so you wouldn't answer."

"That usually signifies that I wish to be _alone_, Specialist."

Shepard plucked a cigar from the case and then snapped it closed, tossing it absent-mindedly on the mattress beside her. She tucked the smoke into her mouth and fished out her lighter.

"I understand. However, I'm _pretty_ sure right now is a very _bad_ time for you to be alone."

"Fuck. Are you a fucking psychiatrist now?"

"No. I'm just concerned for my friend. We..._are_ friends, aren't we?"

"Being my friend is a dangerous business. There's a very _low_ survival rate. I suggest you quit now before you get hurt."

The lighter snapped on, the rich smell of the gold-label tobacco filling the air a moment later. She heard Traynor's footsteps move down the stairs and draw closer, and slapped the lighter down.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard," Samantha said. The mattress dented a little as she sat on the corner of the bed, just a couple of feet away. "It seems I thrive on danger."

Shepard let out a stream of smoke, propping her head in her free hand as she stared in hazy misery at the floor. "What do you want?"

"You shouldn't be alone. I believe I said that before." A pause. "You need to sleep."

"I have bad dreams." Shepard confessed it before she realized. Shakily she took another draw on the cigar. The smoke was soothing, the nicotine seeming to stretch the edges of her veins wide, relieving in the way stretching a sore muscle could be relieving.

"Then I'll stay here, and make sure they leave you alone," Traynor told her. Reaching over the Specialist plucked the cigar out of Del's fingers and set it on the ash tray, before she grabbed a pillow and drew it over. Pushing firmly back on Shepard's shoulder, she urged her to lie down, scooping up her legs and swinging them onto the bed.

Shepard made no sound or motion of protest. She felt like nothing more than a lethargic observer, unable to bring herself to care, wanting only sleep, however temporary and false an oblivion it was.

It seemed the moment her head hit the pillow that thick curtain of black fell over her, and she tumbled helplessly into it.

* * *

Traynor settled the Captain comfortably, then cautiously stubbed out her cigar. She found the cap for the whiskey, neatly returned it to the bottle, and set the booze back in its proper place. She turned down the music slightly but left it on. Drawing a chair over she sat silently.

Twenty minutes later the door to the Nest opened again. Softly rustling footsteps padded near, then hesitated. Liara took in the sight with knit brows.

Shepard was clearly asleep. Whispering so as not to wake her, she moved down the steps, bewildered. "Sam? Why are you here?"

The young woman rose from the chair and straightened her shirt a bit as she walked over. "She shouldn't be alone."

Her words were simple and hardly accusatory, but Liara fancied the look in her eyes held a deeper truth.

_The real question is, why weren't __**you**__?_

"Good night, Liara."

As Traynor stepped past and headed for the door, the asari watched her go. "Good night, Sam."

Moving over to the bed, Liara bent and softly cleared a lock or two of hair away from Del's cheek, before bending and kissing the spot briefly. Turning down the lights, she went around the bed and climbed carefully onto it, winding an arm around her love's waist as her body almost unconsciously conformed to the one beside it.

"_I love you." _

It was whispered sadly, almost tentatively. Shepard continued to sleep, the deep and gentle tides of breathing her only response.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Howdy all!

As you may have noticed, my posting times seem a bit sporadic lately. My work load has changed and I have less time during the day to write. I am still attempting to write evenings on my new laptop, but it is also sporadic the chance I get to do that. Even so, I will still get three or even four chapters out a week at varying times, they just won't be on the solid, consistent Monday thru Friday they used to be.

Secondly, yes, I have seen the EC 'fix' to the endings. My response is to say this: I will definitely still be changing the endings in DE3. There will be no Star Brat whatsoever. So rest assured on that note.

Now, on we go!

* * *

A nicely tanned hand swept in an arc over the closed and latched door to the Nest, as if the bearer could sense the pulsing vibrations of those in exhausted sleep past it. Allers pursed her lips a little, her dark eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

Her will and determination would not waver. Despite the risks, she had never felt more certain, more grounded, than she did right now. She herself was unimportant. What _mattered_ was humanity. There was glory in the sacrifices she was making, and she would do them gladly.

At her side, the citrine light of her Shepard VI stood in solemn observance, the unfeeling spectral advisor to an unfeeling living woman.

"VI, access Gaslight," Allers said at last.

"Gaslight accessed."

"Please open the door to the Nest."

The faintest of clicks as the door-lock disengaged, and then the near silent whisper of displaced air as the barrier slid aside.

The Nest was a quiet tangle of shadows, some swirling and dancing together as the barely illuminated tank sent cast silhouettes of its lazing occupants around the room. The faint traces of tobacco smoke made her wrinkle her nose.

_Such a filthy damn habit_.

Padding barefoot, moving silently, Allers crossed the office alcove and moved down the steps into the living area. Her nose wrinkled even more as she saw both human and asari deeply asleep on the bed, the latter draped against the former's back, her arm slung around Shepard's waist.

The tiny aerosol made a soft hiss, no louder than a sigh, as she misted its contents deftly over Shepard's nose, and then the asari's. The odorless sedative gas would ensure Shepard did not wake for the next few hours.

Liara, on the other hand, would never wake again.

Tucking the aerosol away, the VI looking on dispassionately, Allers withdrew a small hypodermic. Leaning over the slumbering Shepard, she carefully slipped the needle into the crease of one of the myriad folds on the back of Liara's neck, a location where the mark would be all but invisible.

When the ampoule was empty, she withdrew it and straightened, glancing down only to see dark brown eyes, muzzy with sleep, looking up at her.

Shepard didn't leap up so much as explode off the bed, one hand grabbing hold of Diana's shoulder even as her other fist slammed with molten heat into her gut. The air was stolen in an instant from her lungs and she crashed backward, the captain's weight atop her.

* * *

For Shepard, it was a whirlwind of confused action that was more reflex than thought…at least at first. Her sleep had been heavy and much needed, and so the act of a form leaning over her took some time to filter through her unconscious mind. When she finally did open her eyes all she saw was someone looming over her, someone _not _Liara, and her body reacted with pure adrenaline. Before it had even awakened in her mind who the looming shadow _was_, she had the reporter on the ground, moving feebly and gasping painfully for air.

All traces of sleep were quickly banished, her mind rushing into full clarity quickly. She stared in furious disbelief as the woman pinned beneath her finally managed to draw air again.

"The fuck? What the _fuck_ are you doing in my quarters, Allers?"

Still beyond the capacity to speak, Allers only rolled onto her side, coiling around her wounded diaphragm, uttering a feeble, wheezing cough. Straightening to her feet, Shepard glared at her, then called out.

"_Haley_! Get your ass and a security team to the Nest, _immediately_!"

_{On our way up.}_

Glancing around the room to see if anything had been disturbed by the nosey reporter, Shepard caught sight of the form still draped and sleeping on her bed. Liara had not been there when she'd gone to bed the night before, but it was not unusual for her to sneak in late at night to make sure Del was actually sleeping. That her arrival had not woken Shepard, testified to the depths of exhaustion she had been sunk in. Normally, she was a fairly light sleeper, and would have noted the asari laying down.

_She must be exhausted too_, Del thought. _She's a lighter sleeper than I am. The commotion should have woken her and short of that, me shouting should definitely have done it._

Allers was weakly trying to push herself up. Glaring at her, Shepard planted her bare foot on the woman's hip and thrust her down again. "Stay _put_, Allers."

Leaning over the bed she took Liara's shoulder and shook her, concerned at her continuing slumber. When the shake failed to rouse her, Shepard's alarm grew.

"Liara?" She shook her again. "Tianlán, wake up!"

Nothing. She gently rolled the asari onto her back, and the limp way her arm flopped against her stomach only sent Del's worry to new heights. Pressing her fingers in at Liara's throat, she ducked her head down, her ear beside her nose and mouth.

"_EDI! MEDICAL TEAM!" _

Shepard only half-heard herself scream those words, even as she lifted Liara off the bed. Ignoring Allers who was, once again, trying to get to her feet, she rushed up the steps, across her office and out the door.

Haley and two others were just stepping off the lift, Shepard nearly knocking them over in her haste as she moved aboard.

"_Allers is in there_," was all she told them, but the venom in her voice left her unspoken order to them unmistakable.

_Arrest her, and __**do not**__ be gentle about it._

She could not remember a time when the lift had taken so long. It seemed to move with all the speed of an ice age glacier down toward the crew deck. Liara was dead weight in her arms, the asari's face a pale ashen gray.

"Don't you leave me," Shepard urged raggedly. "Don't you _fucking leave me_."

The lift doors finally slid open and she nearly collided with a sleep-mussed Chakwas and one of her nurses.

"What happened?" Chakwas asked as Shepard hurried past her and toward the infirmary.

"I woke up and Allers was there," Shepard said. "Li's not breathing and I couldn't feel a pulse."

Laying the asari on the nearest bio-bed- in effect surrendering her to Helen and her expertise- broke something in her. For a moment, Shepard's brain shuddered between collapsing with fear and grief and overrunning with a furious, murderous anger.

Being who she was, she chose the anger.

Stepping back, she turned and strode out of the infirmary, barely hearing Nan's sleepy 'sweetie?' Garrus, drawn by the commotion, blinked at her as she swept past, heading for the lift.

"Shepard? What's going on?" he asked.

Shepard reached the lift just as the door opened, baring Haley and his men and the shackled Allers. Without a step lost, Shepard lifted a fist and slammed it with bone-cracking force into the side of Diana's face.

Shouts filled the air, unheard drones that were nonsensical to her ears. She pressed on the attack, landing a blow into the shoulder of one poor private as he tried to move between her and the prisoner. Someone caught her around the waist and hauled her back a step or two before she hauled them forward again with sheer determination. Her throat was heated with the vehemence of her own shouts.

"_I'll kill you! If she dies I'll fucking __**kill you**__!"_

The arms around her hauled backward again before a second solid grip took hold of her as well. Between the two of them she was forced back, giving Haley and the others room to usher Allers past and toward the brig.

"_**I'll fucking kill you!"**_

"_Shepard_!" Garrus. "Shepard calm down!"

"What happened?" Wrex.

"Allers did something to Liara I think," Garrus said. "Shepard!"

Del almost tore free of them, not an unimpressive feat considering one was a turian and the other a krogan warlord. Growling, the two males wrestled her back again before Wrex pinned her against the wall.

"_Let me go you big fuck!"_

"No, not _yet_. I let you go now, you'll make it too quick. If that pyjak hurt Blue, then she deserves to die slow and painful for it. She's not going anywhere, Shepard. You'll have your chance at her."

Del's reddened brown eyes fixed to him, and then to the grim-faced Garrus, before moving back to the krogan. His eyes were narrowed, his tone promising.

"Slow…and _painful_."

* * *

One of the men who had taken Allers down to the brig returned only moments later, heading into the infirmary. There he presented Chakwas with the aerosol and the syringe they'd found on Allers. Shepard, unable to stay away yet not able to bring herself to go in either, paced in a tight and furious little circle just outside the infirmary door.

Nan emerged first only a few minutes later. Her face seemed more strongly lined than it had just a few short hours ago, and catching sight of her expression, Del felt some part of her very soul quiver in frightened agony.

Wordlessly, Nancy came over and hugged her tightly. The strength seemed to go out of Shepard's legs and she half-fell to her knees, clinging to Nan. The air in the room had vanished, and she could hear the echo of her pulse beating in her ears.

_Where are the tears?_ some part of her wondered. _Why can't I cry?_

She didn't want Nancy to speak, to say the words and make them a reality. When the woman finally did whisper the sound of her voice shook Shepard to her very foundations.

"She's alive, sweetie."

"_Alive…"_

"Helen has her on support. It was some kind of paralytic in that syringe. She can't breathe and her heart can't beat on its own. If you had not got her down here as fast as you did-"

Releasing Nan abruptly, Shepard got to her feet and walked into the infirmary.

Liara lay on the bio-bed, on full support as Nan had described. Her color still looked ashen, pale and faded, her eyelids marked a dark, sunken purple. Helen turned around and looked at her, but made no move to halt or intercept.

"It'll wear off, right?" Shepard touched the asari's cheek, fingers barely brushing her skin before they fell to rest on her shoulder. "Once it wears off she'll be able to breathe again."

Her eyes lifted, seeking out the doctor's eyes, her next word less confident.

"_Right?"_

"We can hope so," Helen said carefully. "The substance she was injected with is a long-acting paralytic. There are no counters. Usually, those afflicted with this type of poison do not live long enough for counters to be administered. Her heart and lungs would have stopped instantaneously. You got her to us before there was irreversible brain damage but all we can do is wait it out. Hopefully when the paralytic breaks down enough in her system her involuntary muscle control will reassert."

"_Hopefully?"_

"There is a slim chance it will not," Helen told her. "If that proves to be the case she will have to remain on support."

"For how long?"

Helen's gray eyes shifted over the asari, her brows knitting. "_Forever_, Del. She will not be able to function without them. My scans didn't show any egregious damage to those centers of her brain but at times it takes only a few cells to make the difference between full recovery and-"

"-and spending the rest of her life hooked up to some _machine_." Shepard's fingers scrubbed angrily over her lips a moment, before she dropped them. "How long until you know?"

"At the dose she was given, it will take forty-eight hours or more before it has broken down enough to allow her systems to recover. Until then I am keeping her in a chemically induced coma. The less stress on her now the better."

Shepard's eyes were lost behind the thick gloss of unshed tears, unfocused as they looked down at Liara's peaceful face. After a long, pregnant pause, Helen spoke again.

"The aerosol that Haley and his men found on her contained traces of a potent sedative. We found the same traces on Liara's face, and they're probably on yours, as well. Allers would have used it in an attempt to keep you both unconscious while she-"

"While she _killed_ Liara." Shepard's tone was far from delicate, gentle, or even grief-stricken. She sounded like a woman dangerously close to forgetting every trace of her sanity.

"She did not take into account your increasing tolerance to sedation," Chakwas said.

Ducking slightly, Shepard whispered something soft into Liara's unhearing ear, then kissed her cheek before she straightened.

"Dr. Chakwas, you'll want to prepare the infirmary for an incoming trauma patient," she said, calmly heading for the door.

"Del, remember, we need _answers_ from her," Chakwas said. Del looked back at her briefly, her eyes hollow and ringed with ice.

Then she was gone.

* * *

Blood hung like slow, sensual rubies in the air. Each a perfect orb of crimson, they lingered before cascading in gentle rain to the ground. Haley cracked his knuckles, shook out his hand slightly, and then balled it up again.

The dull meat-on-meat thud of it colliding with the reporter's face was almost muffled. Allers slumped to her side, gasping wetly for air through a swollen, broken nose. Smears of blood stained the bare floor of the cell.

Haley took a step back as Allers shifted weakly, a ragged chuckle escaping her. Moving painfully, awkwardly, she braced herself on the wall and got back into a sit. Her dark eyes rolled up to meet Del's unmoving glare.

"Too afraid to hit me yourself?" she asked. Shepard stepped forward and crouched, leaning in until they were almost intimately close.

"_I _hit you," Shepard said, "and I won't stop until your _brains_ are leaking out of your broken skull."

"You think I'm afraid to die?" Allers asked with a macabre grin, her swollen lips spreading over reddened teeth.

"I couldn't give a _piss_ what you're afraid of, _mu gou_, but I need information and for that, I need you _breathing._ Haley. Did you get her omni-tool?"

"Yes. One of the programmers from Thanatos is looking over it right now down in Engineering."

Shepard grunted, her eyes never leaving Allers'. "We're going to start off nice and easy, all right? Are you the hacker?"

A stoic, unwavering glare was her answer. Shepard's glare was just as unwavering. Sitting back a little she ordered, "Everyone, get out."

"Captain?"

"_Out!"_

Haley and his men departed, moving out of hearing range but staying within visual just outside the open door to the brig. Shepard gave Allers a smile.

"All right, they're gone now. Sorry about all that. Had to put on a good show."

Allers looked at her warily, thin dribbles of blood painting her upper lip. Shepard gave her an almost cherubic grin.

"Listen, Diana, we're on the same side here. Fuck, you think I care what you just did? Good riddance, I say. These fucking treaties have been a nightmare and everywhere I turn around some fucking squid or frog-eyes is whining at me about their poor planet. Boo fucking _hoo_. Drives me fucking crazy, all this goddamn pandering, but the Alliance wants their precious treaties."

She rolled her eyes with an irritated snort. "Honestly, since that hacker shut down the goddamn network, that asari has been useless for anything around here. Figured throttling her myself was a bit too over the top."

"You're lying," Allers replied, though she sounded unconvinced. "This is some kind of act."

"Oh don't fucking waste my time." Shepard's glare was impatient, pointed. "You think I give a shit what happens to you? No. You made me look bad, and that tends to be bad for people's health, dong ma? So listen up, cupcake, and listen well. The _only_ reason you're still fucking alive is your contacts. You work for Wyatt, right? I know full well he wasn't working alone, but I need contacts. I need help or I have to keep relying on these stupid fucking aliens. If I get Terra Firma's full support, I can dump the turians and sabotage this cure for the krogan. Are you with them or not? I haven't got time to dick around here."

Allers lifted her chin slightly. "I'm with Terra Firma," she admitted. Shepard snorted.

"Fuck. If you're gonna lie to me fucking forget it. I have better things to do."

She straightened to her feet and Allers lifted up onto her knees frantically. "No! Wait-"

"For what? You're not with _Terra Firma_ and you fucking know it. I don't have time for your bullsh-"

"We're with Cerberus."

Shepard paused, then slowly crouched back down, disbelieving. "Cerberus?"

"We're part of Terra Firma, yes, but we weren't acting under their orders. Cerberus gave us resources and Wyatt was able to build his…device."

"That thing he hooked me up to back on Earth."

"Yes."

"Go on."

"No," Allers smiled again. "I'm not falling for this bullshit, _Captain_. You _are_ pretty convincing when you want to be but I see and hear more around this ship than you realize. You're trying to ingratiate me, get me to reveal something."

Shepard smiled. "You just did."

"Please, the Cerberus thing? That's hardly a stretch of the imagination," Allers said. "A four-year-old could have made that connection. Terra Firma, Cerberus, God's Planet…different limbs on the same animal."

Shepard's grin never waned as she put her hand out against Allers' forehead, tipping the woman backward until her head pressed against the wall. "Haley!"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Ms. Allers here seems to think she 'sees and hears more around this ship' than I realize. How would something like that work, exactly?"

The young man pursed his lips. "She would have to have bugs and other surveillance devices on board, ma'am."

"Is that possible?"

"No ma'am. The ship was completely swept of surveillance equipment of that type when the Alliance took it over. The ship receives routine security sweeps for planted bugs on a daily basis."

"Is there a type of small camera or bug that would be missed by our sweeps?"

"No ma'am."

"You sound awfully confident."

"Yes ma'am. EDI has access to top of the line technology in that field, stuff that hasn't even hit the black market yet. She conducts the initial scan and the equipment we use to fully clear the ship is updated daily with those techniques."

Shepard's brows knit as she thought a moment, searching Allers' eyes. Confidently, the reporter smiled. "You're too stupid to figure it out, aren't you, Shepard? Tell me, Captain. How does it feel knowing you threw away your humanity? To know that instead of fighting to save your people you'd rather be fucking a blue squ-"

This time Shepard's motion was less gentle, and Diana's head bounced on the wall with a sharp thud. The reporter's eyes rolled back and she slumped, unconscious.

"Fucking _bitch_."

Shepard straightened, stepping out of the cell and activating the field. "Haley, no one sees her but me and Chakwas. If Helen comes down to treat her you guard her with your life."

"Of course, ma'am. Where are you-?"

"_To see Adams_!"

* * *

Mu Gou= bitch

Dong ma= Understand?


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Hey everyone! Just an advanced warning heads up! I have another surgery scheduled toward the end of August. Fortunately, I have a laptop this time so once I come out of the hazy daze of some of the more heavy drugs I'll be able to write during my recuperation.

On the other hand, I'll be writing whilst I am on the less powerful but still IMMENSELY fun super-happy drugs so…that might get interesting! Anyway, I'll give you another notice as the surgery draws nearer so that y'all won't forget. And for those worried that my new work load and other stuff might result in me stopping DE…do not worry. I'm seeing DE through to the end, you better believe it. Even if it comes down to only doing a chapter a week, I'm stickin' to it. So no fear! Del will be here!

On with the madness!

* * *

Adams, EDI, and one of the Thanatos programmers were gathered at the main Engineering console when Del arrived. EDI looked over at her as passively as ever, giving a polite nod.

"What'd we pull off the omni-tool?" Shepard didn't bother with niceties. Right now she just wanted _answers,_ and to tear Allers apart.

Her fingers _itched_ to tear Allers apart.

"Not much," Adams admitted. The programmer, whose name completely escaped Del at the moment, shook his head.

"She had an auto-safe installed. Nasty little program designed to wipe the tool completely if anyone other than her attempts to activate it. Fortunately, I noticed it and know a couple of work arounds, or we wouldn't have gotten anything at all."

"What _did_ we get?" Her impatience and temper was clear on her face.

Adams, well used to Shepard's temper and less intimidated by it than the programmer- though not by much, he'd seen what she could _do_, after all- met her eyes.

"Well, she has a copy of a Shepard VI. Most of its memory program and projection algorithm was wiped, however. The code is in pieces. EDI may be able to-"

"Forget it. EDI, I want you to pull up the security footage for tonight from the alcove of the Nest. I want to see _exactly_ how Allers got in to my room to begin with."

"Of course, Shepard."

EDI turned to the console and activated the security feeds, drawing up the one from the small alcove between the lift door and the door to the actual Nest.

"There is approximately six hours of footage from the time that you entered your room to retire and the time you emerged with Liara."

"Speed forward and slow to real-time at every access."

EDI accelerated the recording, which at first was impossible to note given the static landscape. Then Shepard appeared and the recording automatically slowed, showing Del entering the Nest.

"I can split-screen with footage from within as well, if you would like."

"Do it."

The screen split, the right side showing inside Del's quarters. Her electronic self could be seen entering and puttering about a little, shedding her uniform jacket and retrieving her whiskey and a smoke. About the same time she pulled out her flask, Traynor appeared off the lift on the left hand side of the monitor. She paused slightly, seeming to debate, then entered the unlocked room.

The interaction played out as it had earlier that night, with Traynor urging Shepard to sleep before she took a seat nearby.

The feed sped up again for a moment, slowing when Liara appeared off the lift, and entered the room. There was a brief exchange between asari and specialist, before Traynor departed. As she exited the Nest Shepard pointed at the monitor.

"There. Slow that."

The image slowed to real time as Traynor stepped out into the alcove. When the door slid shut behind her, she turned and pressed her fingers to the controls before heading for the lift. Adams nodded.

"She locked it."

"The Nest was completely secured at that time," EDI said.

"Keep going."

Del could feel her teeth grinding, her lips tightening as she watched Liara bend and kiss her cheek, before laying down beside her. The asari seemed to fall asleep quickly, and for four hours by the swiftly passing time stamp, nothing happened. The alcove was still, and the only movement in the room itself came from the fish.

Then, Shepard suddenly leapt off the bed in a wild flail of arms and fell face first on the ground. The feed automatically slowed as the observing Del's brows knit angrily.

"What the _fuck_?"

Shepard's image pushed herself off the floor, then called out for Haley and his security men to come up. Turning, she looked at Liara and tried to rouse her. A moment later she seemed to stamp on the ground again with an angry order not to move, then tried to wake Liara once more, before bending over her. As she scooped her frantically off the bed and turned to run for the door, Shepard growled.

"Fucking _pause it_!"

The images froze.

"Captain, something here is incorrect," EDI said.

"You're damn _right_ something is incorrect! Where the fuck is Allers? The bitch isn't invisible!"

"If the plan had gone right, it would have seemed that Dr. T'Soni passed in her sleep, and the recordings would have borne that out." Adams rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll bet a thousand credits whatever Allers used on her degrades quickly into seemingly innocuous components. Untraceable after a few hours."

"She wasn't banking on me waking up. How could she have tampered with the recordings to this extent?"

"Shepard, I am…alarmed," EDI said, looking at the captain. Shepard lifted her brows, her voice intent.

"EDI?"

"Allers could not have hacked into my systems without my becoming aware of it," EDI said. Despite her perpetual calm, there seemed to be the faintest tremor of uncertainty in her voice.

_No, not uncertainty, _Del thought. _It's fear. EDI is __**afraid**__._

"Even if Ms. Allers' was skilled and proved to be the hacker that compromised the Broker's systems," EDI continued, "I would have detected interference. I was aware of the hacker's attempts the moment it tried to infiltrate into my network as well."

"What are you saying, EDI?"

"I am saying that _I_ may very well be Allers' accomplice."

* * *

The reporter grimaced a little as Chakwas cleaned the cut over her eye. The doctor was not being gentle, but neither could she bring herself to be wantonly cruel. She was a healer, it was her nature, and she could not go against her nature even with someone who had tried to kill a very good friend of hers.

Behind the pair, just outside of the open cell, a pair of security watched impassively.

Chakwas didn't bother with medi-gel. Allers hardly deserved its anesthetic benefits. Dumping some more astringent on the pad of gauze she pressed it to the gash, making Allers grimace and hiss in response.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_. That might sting just a bit," Helen smiled coldly. She might be a healer, but that didn't mean she had to heal _nicely_.

The heavy tread of determined strides rumbled from just outside the brig, and Helen straightened, looking over her shoulder as Del strode in, flanked by Garrus and Javik. With a terse snap of her fingers and a jab of her thumb, the captain dismissed the two guards.

"Helen, you too," she said. "Out."

The promise of pain was in Shepard's eyes, though of course not directed at the doctor. Wordlessly, Chakwas gathered her things and rose. She left the cell but could not bring herself to leave the brig altogether, lingering near the door as she clutched her small medi-kit to her chest.

Del didn't bother trying to talk to Allers. Striding in, she grabbed the woman's arms and hauled her to her feet, pinning her against the wall. Javik approached and reached out, touching Allers' forearm and closing his eyes.

The reporter gasped, her head jerking back slightly. Shepard kept her tightly pinned until Javik opened his eyes and stepped away. Then, she dropped her, stepping back a pace. Unable to catch herself, Allers slumped to the ground, shivering and panting for air.

"Tell me," Del said, regarding the Prothean.

"She has had extensive contact with both Wyatt and this Illusive Man of yours, along with many others. She was given a virus tuned specifically to interact with the computer systems on the ship."

"You mean EDI."

His lip wrinkled faintly in disdain. "Yes. It was given to her by members of Cerberus, designed by the same people that designed the com…_EDI._"

"She the hacker that wiped the broker network?"

"No. I saw no evidence of that."

Shepard crouched, grabbing Allers by the arms and sitting her up, slamming her back against the wall. Diana still seemed disoriented by Javik's touch, her eyes darting.

"What did you do to EDI? What was the program meant to do?"

Allers wheezed a little, and Shepard slammed her again, furious. "_What was the program meant to do you __**feng mu gou**__!_"

"G-Gaslight…" Allers breath was a faint burble, and she sniffled wetly through her nose.

"Gaslight," Shepard echoed, then looked over her shoulder toward Garrus and Chakwas. "That was in the memory Li saw, Wyatt said something about 'gaslight'. Anyone got any fucking _clue_ what that means?"

"It's an old Earth term," Helen said. "Comes from an ancient book or vid or something like that, from a couple of centuries ago. In the story, a man tried to make his wife think she was going crazy. Part of what happened, if I'm recalling correctly, is that at the time they had gas powered lights. When the husband was doing…_whatever_ it was he was doing- hunting in a secret room for some treasure or something, I think- when he would turn on the light in there, the lights in the rest of the house would dim, adding to her paranoia. 'Gaslighting' came to be linked to a pattern of manipulative, psychological abuse where a subject is gradually made to doubt his or her own reality."

Shepard's eyes moved back to Diana. "So. The voices I would hear on occasion when I was alone…my things being moved around when I had no knowledge of doing so…that was all _EDI_. She was doing it because you changed her programming, and she was altering the recordings to make it look like _I_ was doing it with no memory. It was Wyatt's job to implant this suggestion into my head, but it was _your job_ to make it grow, to keep me off-balance, to finish the process. _You fucking __**cunt**_!"

She slammed the reporter again, hard enough to make her cry out in pain. "How do we stop it?" she demanded. "_How do we stop this fucked up mess you put in my head?"_

"You can't stop it," Allers said, a tremor belying the pain and panic she was struggling to control. Shepard yanked her forward and whipped her back once again into the wall, bellowing in her face.

"_Fuck that! How do I fucking stop it!"_

"Ah! You _can't_!" Allers heaved in a shaky breath or two. "_You can't!_ _That was the whole goddamn point!_ You're going to be one of us if you like it or not! Even without me here to speed it along it will _still happen_, just more slowly. When the time comes, you'll see that we are right, that humanity is the only species that _deserves_ to be here! You'll come to hate your friends…that ugly skinned chicken behind you, that pile of stupid you call a krogan, even your pretty little blue cun-"

She broke off as Shepard surged to her feet, hauling the shackled woman up with her. Allers was not a big woman, and it was no effort for Del at all to dangle her feet off the floor as her hand closed around Diana's throat. She didn't _quite_ cut off her air, but she definitely let it be felt. Allers arched and gagged, trying to relieve the pressure. For the first time, there was actual fear on her battered face. God help her, but Del _reveled_ in it.

"You hurt my _crew_," Del said, her voice a threat of retribution. "You hurt EDI, tried to _kill_ my Tianlán-"

Arching her head back again, Diana managed to speak in a half-throttled whisper. "In a month you won't _care_. In a month, you'll hate her more than you've ever hated anything else."

"With all your spying, all your haughty superiority, there's still a few things you _**don't **__know_, mu gou. _You don't know __**us**__."_

"_Fuck….you…"_

"Javik! Does Allers know how to fix what she did to EDI?"

Javik shook his head. "The program was provided to her, she was simply the delivery mechanism."

"Can't fix my head, can't fix EDI. Javik now knows everything that you did. I guess that makes you _fucking useless_ now, doesn't it?"

She dropped the reporter, stepping back. Diana crumpled again, coughing raggedly before she looked up. With an efficient snap of her wrist, Del drew the pistol holstered at her hip and flicked the safety off, aiming it at the reporter.

There was that fear again, hidden behind a thin, tattered veil of confidence. Allers managed to half sit up, visibly shaking but doing her best to school her expression. "You won't," she said, voice wet and tremulous. "You're not a murderer."

The pistol snapped three times, the faint flash from its muzzle reflected in unfeeling dark eyes. Chakwas made the faintest sound of surprise, lost in the final bang. Shepard glared at the remains of the reporter's head and calmly holstered her weapon.

"_You don't know me."_

* * *

"With what you told us Mike was able to find the altered lines of code," Adams told Shepard half an hour later. She was perched atop one of the tables in the mess, her feet planted on the bench, holding a cup of untouched coffee between her knees. Her brown eyes were so unreadable they may as well have been mirrors, reflecting back his own face.

_Mike. Shottz or Shultz or something. __**That's**__ the programmer's name._

"Can he fix them?"

"Yes, easily enough. The 'virus' was not designed to affect any of her higher functions or personality. It was basically lodged in extremely low priority algorithms…I guess what would pass for her subconscious. She was as unaware as anyone else what was going on."

"Is she ok?"

"As I said, we'll be able to fix the altered code easily enough-"

Shepard's glassy look grew stern, the corners of her mouth tightening a bit. "I asked if she was _ok_."

"Oh. Sorry…I…she seems as she _always_ seems, I guess-"

He stepped back as Del hopped off the table, setting her coffee aside. He didn't miss the way her gaze lingered on the door to the infirmary a moment, the tightness in her expression softening into exhausted worry a moment before she schooled it again. The change was only there and gone again in the same breath, but it spoke volumes.

"Where is she?"

"Her chassis is up at the CIC, parked. Mike is in the AI suite restoring her normal coding-"

Shepard turned and walked away from him, heading for the lift.

* * *

EDI stood at the corner of the CIC, hands neatly clasped behind her back. Joker was pacing a limp, awkward line back and forth in front of the galaxy map promontory, his own hands clenching and unclenching in impotent anger. When he saw Shepard coming, he immediately changed his trajectory to intercept.

"How could they _do_ that to her? Alter her programming like that? Was it Terra Firma? Cerberus?"

"Cerberus apparently, pulling Terra Firma strings," Shepard said.

"Well, I don't care _who_ it was. I'll find the Illusive Man myself and see how many bones I can break. _His_, not mine."

Stepping past him, Shepard walked up to the synthetic. "EDI, you ok?"

"I am fine, Shepard. We have isolated the programmed misjudgments and are rectifying them now. They did not interfere in any maintenance of ship systems, and posed no harm to the _Normandy_ or crew."

"That's not what I'm worried about!"

"I don't understand-"

"EDI, they did to you exactly what they did to _me_! They changed some part of you in order to control you against your will. You can't tell me that doesn't bother you."

"I am not human, Shep-"

"Bullshit, EDI. _Bullshit._ You don't have to be _human_. You don't have to be turian or krogan or asari or salarian or even _organic_. You have a _mind_, EDI, a will. You are as alive as any of us and someone _violated_ that. You can't stand there and tell me it doesn't bother you."

For the first time since she'd acquired the mobile chassis, EDI actually looked startled. Her eyes shifted toward Joker a moment as if seeking confirmation, then returned to Del.

"I…am slightly bothered, Shepard."

"_Slightly?"_

"Perhaps _more_ than slightly. It is a comfort that none of my higher cognizance processes were affected and the situation can be easily rectified, but it is bothersome that someone was able to alter my actions without my knowledge. It is…invasive."

Shepard nodded. "It is, and you have every right to be upset about it. We're going to do everything we can to make sure this doesn't happen again. I promise you that."

"Thank you, Shepard. That is reassuring."

"I'm sorry I let you down, EDI. This should never have happened. To you _or_ to Li."

"It is illogical to consider this your fault, Shepard," EDI said. "These actions were taken without your knowledge."

"Still, it's my job to protect my crew, and I let you down."

"Shepard, you have always stood up for me. From the beginning, you have treated me like one of the crew. You trusted me when you had no prior experience with a non-hostile AI. You show concern now for the feelings of a synthetic. You are my friend. I do not believe it is possible for you to 'let me down'."

Del lowered her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose a moment with her index finger, before she nodded. "Thank you, EDI."

_I still should have known, somehow. I should have known that bitch was dirty before I let her step foot on the __**Normandy**__._

"You are welcome, Shepard. I hope that Liara will be all right."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

It was noon, ship-time, and the Normandy had departed the Citadel, its nose pointed toward Tuchanka. Mordin had announced early that morning-as Shepard nursed her sixth coffee and alternated between pacing the mess and peeking in the infirmary- that the cure would be ready within thirty hours. Shepard had instantly put them on a course for the krogan home world, and she, Mordin, Wrex and Victus had spent most of the morning brainstorming ways to distribute the cure most effectively. Individual injections and treatments would take months, if not years…time they did not have.

They had finally lit upon the Shroud as a viable method. The Shroud, Mordin explained, had been built by the salarians to help repair the damage to Tuchanka's atmosphere after the krogan had nearly wiped themselves out. It had also been used to distribute the original genophage, and served as the best hope to cover as much ground- and as many krogan- as possible in a short amount of time. Once distributed with the Shroud, the cure would affect any krogan on the planet…and would remain to cure any that eventually came home to it.

Wrex was amenable to this, and was making what preparations he needed to move forward with it.

She was now forcing herself to ignore the way her foot was bouncing, pretending to sip at another coffee she didn't really want, trying _not _to focus on the memory of Liara's ashen face, when EDI's voice startled her.

_{Captain, you have a call coming in the QEC.}_

"On my way, EDI."

She dumped the coffee in the waste reclamation unit-

_Gray. Her face is so gray. No brush of breath against her cheek, no motion of pulse against her fingers_

-and headed up toward the war room. Traynor stood at the far end, near the entrance to the QEC, and nodded politely as Shepard stepped past. _Politely_, but her dark eyes seemed worried.

_She's not breathing. She's not breathing! God, Liara's not breathing!_

Stepping over to the projection pad Shepard accessed the call, straightening when Dalatrass Linron appeared.

"Captain. Word has reached me on your plans to utilize the Shroud to distribute this cure of yours."

Shepard folded her arms with a bitter glare. "Word certainly travels _fast_. Who do I have to thank?"

"Does that really matter?"

"Does it _matter_ if someone on my ship is feeding information _off_ of it without my authorization? Yeah, it _really matters_, Dalatrass. _Who?_"

"If you _must_ know, Wrex himself told me," Linron said. "He seemed eager to rub it in my face, point of fact."

"I can verify that you know."

"Verify away, Captain. I have no time for your petty suspicions."

_If she dies I'll kill you! I'll __**kill**__ you!_

"Why don't we just get to the point, Dalatrass. What is the purpose of your call?"

"A fool's errand, perhaps, but I am going to try and appeal to your wiser nature. Shepard, we…our _people_…cannot afford this cure for the krogan. We will defeat one enemy just to be overrun by another. The krogan will consume everything in this galaxy with their rage and bloodlust."

"This is a well-beaten road," Shepard warned. "You made your stance clear at the summit. We _need _the krogan to win this war, and-"

"You can make the pragmatic decision, Captain, and still have krogan support!"

"What are you talking about?"

"When we developed the Shroud, we included a failsafe in case a cure was ever developed. We knew the Shroud would be the most efficient way to distribute it. If a cure is input into the Shroud system, it is preprogrammed to alter the temperature variances before distribution. The cure will be rendered ineffectual before it is introduced into the atmosphere. The krogan will think that you have fulfilled your end of the bargain and lend you their aid, and the krogan remain in their current state."

"Why are you telling me this? You could have just kept your mouth shut and the cure wouldn't have worked."

"Mordin Solus is why. He is incredibly intelligent, Captain- as well you know. If he is allowed into that facility he will easily pick up on the sabotage and correct it. You cannot allow that to happen."

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to prevent Mordin from distributing the cure- something he will insist on, which will likely result in my having to use _deadly force_ against my own friend- and then let this _non_-cure be distributed among the krogan so that they'll help us, even though we didn't _actually_ cure them as promised."

"The krogan will never doubt you. They will believe the cure has been delivered. They will help, and we have a galaxy safe from Reapers _and_ krogan. No overwhelming numbers, no second war, all of our people win."

"_Except_ the krogan."

"Shepard, you're a soldier. You understand war, numbers, strength. The krogan will decimate us if allowed to breed unchecked. Don't blind yourself to the reality of what will happen if this cure succeeds! You're being obtuse-"

"_Obtuse_?" Shepard glared, dropping her arms. "Dalatrass, I believe our conversation is _over_."

"Just think about it, Captain. You have a chance in your hands to _stop_ this madness. If you do, you will have the full support of our salarian fleets and ships, all of our scientists and soldiers. If you don't, not _one single salarian ship_ will come in aid of Earth, I can promise you _that_!"

"You know what happens then?"

"What?"

Del's eyes sparked with hellfire. "The salarians die _alone_."

Her finger snapped down and cut the feed.

* * *

Sam watched as Shepard strode out of the QEC. As she went across the war room, the young specialist broke into a trot, quickly catching up to her and clearing her throat. "Captain, if I might have a word-"

"What is it, Traynor?"

_Great, she sounds extremely pissed._

"I…if it's not an imposition, I'd rather speak to you about this…_privately_?"

Shepard paused and glared at her. Traynor felt herself shrink a little inside under the weight of that glare, but forced herself to remain the picture (she hoped) of confidence. Behind that glare she could see the pain, the worry, the weight of everything bearing down on her. Sam wanted to soothe her, reassure her that everything was going to be all right. Every fiber of her wanted to help carry this burden that Shepard clung to like a child with its security blanket, to show her that she wasn't alone. Hold her hand, whisper in her ear…

As the glaring silence dragged on, she cleared her throat self-consciously, hoping the faint heat rising to her cheeks was unnoticed.

"_Fine_," Del said at last, the word sharpened with a razor's edge. "Conference room. I can spare a minute."

Sam tried not to audibly sigh in relief, passing a self-conscious hand over her cheeks as Shepard stepped past toward the conference room door, leaving the blushing Sam to follow quietly behind.

* * *

Feng mu gou= crazy bitch


	39. Chapter 39

The last time Del had been in the conference room it had seemed incredibly small. Now, the space was cavernous, almost ominous in its dimly lit silence.

Of course, there had been a lot of people there the last time, including an Elcor. Shepard's thoughts lingered on the summit as she reached the long table, her fingers pressing to the brightly polished surface as her eyes fixed to the hovering holographic image of the _Normandy_ over the table's center.

The summit had been both a frustrating sketch illustrating the long grudges and old hatreds between species…and an illuminating study in how far they had all come. The first steps to a fully unified galaxy had happened right here, but that was not all.

It had been at this same table that they had planned the assault on the Collector base. Closing her eyes, she could almost see the group gathered around it. Jack, confident and defiant as always. Miranda, stiff and resolved. Grunt, Kasumi, Thane, Garrus…a dozen faces. A dozen friends.

Tali.

_God, I hope she's all right._

Sydney and Deirdre…

"…can barely see straight."

Her eyes opened, and she was suddenly aware that Traynor was speaking to her.

"What? What did you say?"

Samantha straightened, folding her arms with an arched brow. "_Exactly_," she said. "Exactly my point, you've just proven it. I was _just _saying that you are tearing yourself in too many directions, that you're so exhausted you were just now practically falling asleep on your feet."

Del shook her head as she straightened. "There's too much to do-"

"And _you_ are _not_ the only person on this ship."

"I'm the _captain_!" Del's dark eyes were irritated as she looked at the young specialist. Sam, to her credit, did not flinch or back down.

"Yes, you are. That means you _delegate_. Garrus is practically itching for work down in the battery. We're on our way to Tuchanka. Take some _time_. Garrus can handle most of your workload for a day or two."

Del shook her head. "I need to stay _busy_. Why does no one _understand_ that? I _need_ to stay busy-!"

Sam looked at her with a sad expression. "So that you can avoid going into the infirmary?"

Turning with an irritated scowl, Shepard planted her hands on her hips and looked out the porthole window. The stars were as distant and uncaring as they always were.

"If there's one thing I understand, Captain…it's being afraid. Do you remember when we first met? I was terrified. Of the war, of you, of…_everything_. I was certain I was going to mess things up, be…be _bumbling_ and idiotic. You had confidence in me. You showed me that it was all right to be afraid, but that it _wasn't_ all right to let it control you. You're the bravest person that I know-"

Del lifted her hand and scrubbed it firmly over her lips, her brows tight as stone. The motion startled the specialist, pausing her a moment. Gauging the captain carefully, Sam nodded and gathered her courage before she went on.

"I know how much she means to you. I know how frightened you are…how terrifying it must have been, knowing how close you came to losing her. I know why you are avoiding the infirmary."

"I can't see her like that," Del admitted, her voice thick and rough, her eyes still fixed to the stars.

"I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that she _needs_ you down there. Even if she can't consciously see you or hear you, she _needs_ you down there, Captain. Don't make her go through all this by herself."

Del lowered her eyes, then looked at Traynor a moment. The other woman looked back, unflinching.

"Give some of your duties to Garrus. Let him _help_. Then go down to the infirmary and be _with_ her. Forget about this war for a few hours. Forget about _everything_ that everyone expects you to do. Let it just be you and Dr. T'Soni for a spell. Remind yourself exactly what it is you're fighting for, because I know perfectly well that it's not _really_ for the krogan or the turians or even Earth. It's for _her_. It's for the two of you _together_. You can't afford to lose sight of that."

Shepard studied her silently, then asked, "Why are you doing this, Sam?"

"Should I not be? Should I not care that my commanding officer is pushing herself to the edge, not making good decisions? Should I look the other way when someone I admire is hurting themselves needlessly?"

Shepard only continued to look at her, unspoken words passing between the two of them a moment before Sam softly said, "I just want you to be happy. You and Dr. T'Soni are happy together. What you two have- it makes you _glow_. It really does. I was, perhaps, a _bit_ willfully blind to it before which resulted in some…_awkwardness_. But I see it _now_, Shepard. Worse, I see that glow fading a little in you. I can't stand by and watch that happen. I can't watch something beautiful die. So, Princess, if it takes me putting the proverbial boot in your backside than that's what I will do."

She gave a nervous little laugh, ducking her head when she realized just what she'd said. "Even if you end up tying me into a pretzel for it, ma'am."

Shepard narrowed her eyes, before a slightly lopsided smirk appeared. "Princess? _Really_?"

Traynor smiled a little, and Del shook her head, then cleared her throat. "Tell anyone that needs me for the next twenty-four to talk to Garrus instead. Let him know he'll be juggling my work-load for a bit. If there's an emergency I'll be in my quarters or in the infirmary…_glowing_, apparently."

Sam chuckled a bit as Del headed for the door. "And _sleeping_, as well, right?"

"Your point has been _taken_, Traynor," Del said. "Don't push your luck."

* * *

Dr. Chakwas was nowhere in sight when Del stepped into the infirmary. As she noted Helen's absence, Del realized she actually had no idea what time it was. The last several hours ran together in defiance of any measurement. From waking up with Allers looming over her, to this moment, it seemed a dozen years at least had passed. Was it morning? Midday? Evening? For someone usually so adept at instinctively counting the passage of time, lacking this knowledge felt oddly disorienting.

Chakwas was not there, perhaps, but Mordin and Eve both were, the salarian tirelessly working. Eve seemed to be asleep.

"Mordin, what time is it?" Del asked. He glanced up with a quick blink.

"Just after noon, ship time," he said.

"Noon? Where's Helen then?"

"Catching a nap. Didn't get much sleep last night. Bad happenings, didn't want to leave Liara."

Shepard felt the faint but sharp-fingered claws of guilt squeeze her guts a bit. Bad happenings, indeed- and Helen had been here, loyally at Liara's side. A vigil that should have been Del's.

She forced herself to look toward the far bio-bed, where the unconscious asari lay attached to the machines that kept her lungs working, kept her heart beating. She felt the hold on her composure crack and forced herself to walk that thousand miles across the room.

Sitting down carefully in a chair that had been positioned next to the bed- a chair Helen had probably occupied just an hour before- Del looked at the still face of her Tianlán. Her color was better, but she still had that grayish cast that belied just how near Del had come to losing her forever.

Her hand stole out, almost of its own volition, her fingertips lightly brushing over Liara's hand before they slipped into her palm, gripping with trembling fear. Heat rushed into her eyes, and she was too tired to even try fighting the tears.

"I'm sorry, Liara," she whispered. "I should have been here. I'm sorry you were hurt because of me."

The almost inaudible puff of the respirator was her only answer. Bowing her head a little, Shepard sat there in silence until the quiet tears dried. She thought of the first time they had met, back on Therum. Thought of the sweetly bumbling Liara who had sat so timidly in the midst of a group of raucous marines, dragged by Ashley into an 'outing' at a bar on the Citadel. She thought of that dance in her quarters, a perfect moment broken by an interruption…as so many of their perfect moments had been. Joker usually was the culprit. After a while Del had begun to wonder if he wasn't in fact spying on them, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

She smiled a little at that thought, picturing a villainous Joker eagerly hunched over a monitor, finger hovering above the comm button, poised and ready.

The memories grew stronger, clearer, as Del danced on the border between wakefulness and sleep. They flirted with dreaming for a time before firming their claim as consciousness fled her.

Liara, on a hillside, on a green world that could have been any from Eden Prime to Sur'Kesh. Shepard could feel the grass under her bare feet, feel the faint strain in her muscles as she climbed the slope. The wind smelled of some kind of spice. It brushed her hair, tugged lightly at her clothes. As she neared the asari and held out her hand, she could feel the warmth of Liara's skin as she took it.

"I'm here, Li," she said.

"I was waiting," Liara replied.

"I-"

"_Captain?"_

The dream vanished as if it had been a house of cards dashed aside by a child's hand. Shepard lifted her head, blinking in confusion a moment, before she looked around.

Eve inclined her head a little. "I am sorry, I did not mean to disturb you."

"I was just…I guess I must have dozed off."

Her eyes returned to Liara, seeking over her face a moment before she swept a palm over her own. "Did you need something, Eve?"

"I just wanted to talk," the krogan said. "We have not had much chance since I came aboard. I wanted to thank you for what you are trying to do. Whether or not it succeeds, it is comforting to know there are those who have not abandoned our people."

"You ask me, Eve…the krogan deserve to live their lives in this galaxy more than a lot of other people do."

"I can say nothing on that," Eve said, sounding amused enough that Del could tell she was actually inclined to agree.

_And why shouldn't she? The self-righteous salarians thought nothing of uplifting her people when they needed them, then muzzling and neutering them when they were no longer serving Sur'Kesh's best interests-_

She lowered her head with an inaudible groan as she realized she was doing it again. That _wasn't_ the way she felt. The actions of an entire race couldn't be weighed by the corrupted few. Judging an individual on the actions of another just because they shared the same species or race was just ludicrous, bigotry at its worst. She wasn't like the turians, all self-

"God damn it."

"Is something wrong?" Eve asked. Shepard let out a thin sigh, then gestured at another chair, indicating for the krogan to sit. Not wishing to discuss or explain Wyatt or her so-called 'indoctrination', Shepard turned the attention onto her companion.

"So," she said. "I think I remember Mordin saying 'Eve' isn't actually your given name."

"It isn't. I am a shaman of the Urdnot female clan. Shaman are the same across gender in our people. We embody the truth and the instincts and the history of what it means to be krogan. We surrender our names when we don that title. I suppose Mordin thought simply calling me 'Shaman' was a bit awkward, and he seemed to find the name 'Eve' amusing, though he has not explained the joke to me."

"It's from human mythology," Shepard said. "Some religions believed that humanity sprang from a single man and woman that were put on Earth by God. They were the parents to the entire human race. His name was Adam, and hers Eve. I suppose he thought it was fitting, because if he ends up being able to cure the genophage, it will be thanks to you. You will, in a way, become the new mother from which the whole of the krogan's future springs."

"An interesting story," Eve said. "Yes, I can see his reasoning. Your people have many religions?"

Shepard nodded. "We are as diverse in that as we are in every other respect. Over our history, it's been a source of a great many wars and a lot of pain and hatred, sad to say. It still can be, but it is not as bad as it was."

"One thing a krogan understands, it is war," Eve said. "Do _you_ have a religion, Shepard?"

"I have never been the religious type," Shepard said. "That's not to say I don't believe in _something_. I mean, I've seen too much in my life- the horrible as well as the beautiful- to think I have anywhere close to all the answers. To be honest, if there _is_ a God out there, or a greater power of some kind that we just can't fathom…I do seem to be on His good side. So that's something."

"It surprised me to hear you say that. From the stories that Mordin has told me, it would seem the opposite were true. Most in your position would think that whatever higher power exists, it must be a cruel creature intent on punishing you."

Shepard smirked a little. "I guess it would be understandable if I did. I should. God fucking knows that I'm harsh and jaded and have my own share of bitterness about life, but…I just can't bring myself to think that way."

"Why not?"

"Well, I never really thought about it. I guess I just look at things from another perspective. I mean, say there is a God…some all-powerful deity lurking somewhere out in the unknowable unknown. Yeah, I was born into a shitty situation, but I got out of it. I was living life on the streets, starving and half-wild, but then Nan came into my life, and Paul. I had no chances, no education, but the Alliance saw my potential and gave me a purpose. I've been beaten, battered, tortured, cut, burned, shot, knocked out, sliced up, broken, starving…but I'm still here. Fuck, I've been _dead._ _**Twice**_ now, by my count- and I'm still here. If there's a God, than He's hosed me off and propped me up as often as He's knocked me down and pissed on me. So the way I figure it, the score's stayed more or less even."

"Huh."

Shepard's eyes returned to Liara's face, and she shook her head. "No…that's not right either. Because if He exists, then He gave me Liara, and I still owe a hell of a lot more pain and torture to even begin balancing the score again after that."

"Hmm. Traynor is right," Eve said. Shepard blinked in surprise, staring at her.

"About what?"

"You _do_ glow," Eve smiled, then laughed as Shepard scowled.

"She told you that?"

"Are you kidding? We haven't talked much but _you_ are her favorite subject. Takes a bit to get her going but when she does, she could yap the ear off a deaf yekken. Though, she's not nearly as bad as Mordin."

"Heard that," the salarian called, and Eve laughed.

Watching the human woman a moment, the krogan leaned forward and looked at Liara. "There's a story I want to tell you, Shepard."

"Oh?"

"When I was young, I held my first stillborn in my arms and realized that life was never going to be as I had hoped for. Many of my sisters, faced with the same grief, wandered into the desert, never to be seen again. I decided against that fate. My life was just beginning, and there was much I could still do. I decided to become a shaman."

Shepard watched her silently, sensing the weight of emotion in the older female, even if she was more schooled at expressing it than even Del was.

"To become a shaman, a krogan- male or female- has to pass a challenge. They are put into a cave and sealed in the dark."

"For how long?" Del asked.

"Until they die, if they cannot find a way to escape," Eve said. "When I was sealed in, the darkness was so thick it was like a living thing, cold and smothering."

"What did you do?"

"I started to dig…in the wrong direction. I dug deeper into my tomb for six days, clawing at the rock until my hands were torn and bleeding. Then I found this."

Reaching into her tunic, she pulled out a ragged length of pale violet crystal. Chipped and battered, what could have been a beautiful stone if polished was instead an ugly, beaten thing.

She reached out and handed it to Del, who turned it over in her hands, puzzled. "How did this help you?"

"It became my chisel," Eve said. "With it, I dug one more day in the dark, and broke through to an old steam vent that led to the surface. My hands were already torn up, nearly useless. I never would have made it out save for that crystal. Now, I would like _you_ to have it."

"Me?" Shepard blinked, then held it out. "I couldn't. This is important to you."

"Yes, it is," Eve said. "You are giving my people back their life, and hope. Now I am giving you this. You need it. You are in a cave, Shepard. There is darkness all around you. This chisel is to remind you on your own journey that-no matter how hopeless things may seem, no matter how thick the blackness becomes- there is always a way through. You will always have a light to guide you."

Shepard closed her hand over the crystal, looking sadly toward her still love.

_You will __**always**__ have a light_.

* * *

From the port of the shuttle, Tuchanka looked like a burnished bronze orb resting on a field of dark velvet. Its endless deserts and ruined wastelands formed streaks of yellow, red, and tan in a swirling filigree that hid what was, in truth, a hostile and barren landscape. Torn apart by war, the krogan had destroyed their eco-system, tore their atmosphere to shreds, and wiped out all but the most tenacious pockets of life.

Shepard leaned on her arm, looking out at the view. She was in full hard-suit, her helmet dangling from her other hand as she watched Tuchanka growing swiftly closer.

It had been two days, and Liara had not yet woken. Chakwas remained optimistic, but- despite her unofficial score with a 'maybe' God- Del had been shit on too often by life to be able to trust most everything it threw at her. God was one thing, but Del's luck had always been obvious, decisive, and wicked in its executions.

That had proved itself when, as the _Normandy_ neared the krogan home world, they caught wind of something most foul.

"There are Reaper signatures on the planet," Joker had told her not an hour ago. "Not full invasion strength but definitely an advanced scouting party of some kind…and it looks like one of them has set up camp exactly where we want to go."

_Too much of a coincidence_, Del had thought then…and _still_ thought. _The one and only way a genophage cure can be effectively and swiftly distributed and a Reaper just __**happens**__ to plant its ass right there? Not buying it._

The shuttle rattled slightly as it hit the turbulence of the upper atmosphere, and Del turned from the porthole to look at those crowded within.

Mordin, Eve, Wrex, Vega, Garrus, Javik, and Wilcher took up the entire back of the vehicle, Wilcher occupying almost the same amount of space as Eve did. The big, normally jovial man was grim-faced and silent, transformed by the loss of Ori and several of his friends.

She had asked Javik along because the more guns on the ground when Reapers were to be had, the better. Javik had helped her with Allers, and that was enough for her to give him a chance at making up for their first meeting and earning her trust.

_Besides, everything the man knew was torn away by the Reapers. He calls himself the embodiment of Vengeance now, and Lord knows he's got as much right to it as anyone. _

"I've got the head of three clans and as many warriors as they can spare gathered at our landing zone," Wrex was telling them. "More are coming in but we won't be able to wait for them. We'll have to figure out our plan to get to the Shroud once we're on the ground."

"You're certain these clans will help us?" Shepard asked.

"They all owe allegiance to Urdnot, but it's true…some may be boneheaded about it. In which case, we'll cave their goddamn skulls in."

"Can we try _talking_ to them first?" Eve asked dryly.

"What is it with females _always_ wanting to talk?"

"Yeah, we're _real _chatterboxes. Can't shut us up." Del gave him a sarcastic look, and he snorted a laugh.

Steve turned his head, calling into the back from the pilot's seat. "We're nearing the LZ. I've got some gunships and a hell of a lot of tomkahs clustered!"

Shepard edged her way over and clapped a hand on his shoulder as she looked at the read-outs. "Should be friends," she said. "Put down right over there, in that open area of the ruins. It'll keep the worst of this wind out."

The shuttle lowered obediently, settling without contest inside the crumbling wall of the vast ruins Wrex had chosen as the rendezvous point. The Shroud facility itself was still several miles away, but they could not risk flying any closer. The Reaper would be able to pick the slow-moving shuttle out of the sky with ease.

Moving to the back again, Shepard gripped the roof-side handrail as the wide doors lifted open, then jumped out to the ground.

This part of the tortured ruins looked like it may have once been an audience hall, or a gathering place of some kind. Large enough to swallow half the _Normandy_, the space was sheltered from the worst of the sand storms by the looming walls, broken ribs of stone and cement that scratched at the open sky. Clustered in groups around the open area were dozens of fully armed and armored krogan warriors. With her helmet off, Shepard could smell them; a heady, deep odor like well-worn leather and rock salt.

It was not the smell, nor the number of krogan gathered there, that bothered her. It was the taut hostility that appeared on nearly every single face turned toward them that sent her gut tightening.

Shepard was a marine, and being a marine, she knew trouble when it was smoldering, and this trouble wouldn't need much to catch it fully alight.

She forced herself not to reach for her rifle, instead simply glaring right back. Wrex hopped down behind her, followed by Vega, Javik, and Wilcher. It was when Mordin appeared that things grew more tense.

"Get that _salarian_ out of here!" One of the more massive males strode forward, pointing at Mordin with a growl. Shepard scowled, taking a step to the side to put herself between the striding pile of angry and her friend. The krogan snarled. "He's not wanted here!"

"Back off, Wreav!" Wrex strode up, meeting the other with a threatening posture.

"I will not! That is a salarian! How dare you bring one of _them_ here!"

Shepard dropped her helmet on the ground, the sound drawing Wreav and Wrex's eyes as she strode toward them. "_His_ name is Mordin Solus. He is my krant. He is krant to Urdnot Grunt and Dundrin Thug, and _he_ is the reason your genophage is going to be _cured_. You will show him some _respect_ or I _will_ knock your ass into next week!"

"Says a soft little shaven _pyjak_." Wreav was clearly unimpressed. "You bring lizards and pyjaks here, Wrex, and expect us to _follow_ them? Pah!"

Shepard was in no mood, and this krogan was testing the very atoms of her last nerve. Two firm paces crossed the last of the distance, her fist cocking back with the first step taken. It was an obvious telegraph of her intentions, and Wreav's face was still smug as he easily lifted a hand and caught it as it swung in.

What he wasn't counting on was her _head_. With an audible whap, Del cracked her forehead directly into Wreav's eye, jarring the huge male and lancing pain white hot through his skull. As he reeled back a little, she snapped her other fist in and belted him in the hollow of the throat. His wakening grunt of pain transformed into a frantic, croaking gasp, and he fell into a sit, clutching at his neck as he struggled to breathe. His eye was already swelling shut.

Wrex smiled. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? This is Captain Shepard. She likes to hit things. Especially noisy, ugly, _loud_ things."

It was clear the krogan had heard of her, more than one rumbled whisper moving through the group. Shepard shook out her fist, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Fame had never been a comfortable companion, but somehow she managed to sow it everywhere.

_Get into __**one**__ fistfight with a krogan warlord and pull a stalemate and __**this**__ happens. Figures._

Ignoring Wreav as the other male pushed himself to his feet, Wrex lifted his voice to the crowd.

"Listen up! We have a cure for the genophage. A _cure_ for each and _every_ krogan. We have it thanks to Captain Shepard, who understands us and our ways. We have it thanks to this salarian, Mordin Solus, who has stood as krant for one of our boys, and who understands the injustice put upon our people. We need to get the cure to the Shroud, but as you know, there's a Reaper out there right now trying to make life more _interesting_. I say we take it up on its offer, and show those goddamn synthetic bugs that we are _not_ going to roll over and die! We are _krogan_, and we will imprint that on every goddamn one of them until they shake just from the sound of it. _We are krogan_!"

His glare shifted to Wreav, who looked back in defiant fury. "Are _you_ krogan?" Wrex asked, looking at Wreav but in truth addressing them all. "Or are you _boys_ who would rather _piss_ in your armor and squabble like dust hens, while a bunch of 'shaven pyjaks' and an insufferable salarian who talks far too much, fight for _your_ home world? Tuchanka may be a big, ugly, radioactive heap of dung and rubble, but it's _my_ goddamn heap! Is it _yours_?"

A roar of approval rose up from the men, guns lifted in the air. Wrex snorted.

"_Little boys_ scare me more! _IS IT YOURS_?"

The roar was deafening, seeming to shake the tattered walls around them. Wrex thrust his fists in the air with a howl, the return sound from those gathered crashing like a tidal wave, promising destruction and glory.

"_Are you krogan?"_

"_**WE ARE KROGAN!"**_


	40. Chapter 40

"_We are krogan!"_

The call was loud but distant, a false thunder that faintly stirred the hot air. A hand lifted from beneath what seemed like a large, sun-scorched rock huddled in a narrow rent in the dry ground. The 'rock' folded backward, revealing it was only cloth, cleverly camouflaged.

Dusty, wound head to toe with protective cloth and a sand-filter, the form sat up. A small gap in the hood it wore revealed pale lavender eyes as they first searched the sky, then peered over the edge of the rent.

Two miles distant, a vast spread of ruin rippled in the Tuchankan heat. From here, lines of tomkahs appeared the size of toys, surrounded by a still cluster of gunships, all shadowed by one vast wall of the ruin. Fumbling in a pack, the lone figure drew out a pair of binocs and focused them. The vehicles leapt into sharp relief. A few krogan milled about them, and more were emerging from the ruin.

They were armed, armored, and looked spoiling for a fight. Something big was going on.

Gathering up the blanket, and shoving it in the pack along with the binocs, Eír Seko shouldered her belongings and the rifle she'd procured, slipping out of the depression. Keeping to rock cover and hillside as much as she could, the young asari worked her way closer to the ruin, trying to figure out what was going on.

Only a hundred yards away she secreted herself behind a boulder, and again lifted the binocs to her eyes. More krogan were emerging, dozens of them. The roar of the lighting engines of the tomkahs joined the higher pitched, whistling voices of the gunships. The armed krogan were piling aboard both.

She shaded the glass of the binocs with one hand as she panned it, not wanting the sun to reflect off and give her away.

Most of the krogan were unfamiliar, but as her binocs passed over three in particular, she jolted in recognition. The larger of the three was an older male, weathered and worn. The other two were boys, barely men…the same 'age' that Thug had been.

Dundrin Buhto, and his sons, Krag and Blik. Thug's adopted brothers, and Shrive's clan.

She lowered the glasses, thinking frantically. Something serious _was_ going on, for so many to be gathered and ready, it seemed, for war. The Dundrin clan was as much hers as it had been Thug's and Shrive's. She counted them family, and if they were going off to fight, then it was only right that she join them.

The gunships were taking to the air, the tomkah's beginning to move. Grabbing her pack, she leapt over the rise and ran as fast as she was able down to the ruins. By the time she reached them, the last tomkah was just finishing loading.

"Wait!" she called, and the male about to haul down the door paused and squinted at her.

"Asari," he said. "Must be one of the captain's crew. Hurry up! We nearly left your blue ass behind!"

Pitching her pack into the tomkah, Eír leapt in behind it, pulling the wraps off her head and face. The group of krogan gathered within regarded her stonily while the male behind her hauled the door down and latched it.

"Let's go!"

The vehicle lurched into motion as Eír straightened. The krogan at the door nodded at her. "I'm Tellvik Goon. You almost missed the party."

"Thanks for letting me on. I am Eír. What…what is it we are going to do?"

Goon looked surprised. "Your captain didn't tell you?"

"No," Eír said. She didn't know who this 'captain' was, but it was clear the krogan weren't exactly surprised to see an asari here. If they knew that she had no real business being there, they might pitch her off the vehicle. She'd never catch up on foot. For now, it seemed, she'd have to play along. "I am young and…not yet of much rank."

He snorted, but seemed to accept this. "Well, be ready then, because stories are going to be sung for ages about today and what we do. Our names will go down in glory."

The other krogan roared and cheered their approval of this. Eír smiled a bit, sadly. She had forgotten how endearing krogan could be, and being around these made her grief for her brother sharpen again.

"We have a cure for the genophage," Goon said. "We are taking it to the Shroud, but there is a Reaper guarding it. We will fight, and we will spill blood, so that the cure can be given to _every_ krogan. Today is a day that history is made."

Her heart lifted a little. A cure for the krogan had been important to clan Dundrin and to her brother, and so it was important to her. Perhaps by helping in this fight, she could honor Thug's memory…help to do something good and right, to be upon _that_ path for a change.

It was what both Shrive and Thug would have wanted, and it was her chance at redemption.

Her eyes closed a bit in relief, but her hand unconsciously pressed against her waist, where the hard, cold metal of the cinch was inevitably felt. It was hidden by her thick clothes, even the faint blue glow it emanated from its charge of biotic energy. However it meant she would be biotically useless in this fight.

In truth, unless she found a way to remove it, she would be biotically useless for the rest of her life.

Her early lessons with Shrive rung in her ears again, as they had so many times over the last few weeks. Overly reliant on her extraordinary biotic gifts, Eír had been cocksure and relied too much on them. Now that they had been taken away, she had to rely on her other skills to be the warrior she was created to be. Her cunning, her strength, her speed…these were her assets now. If she died in this fight to cure the genophage, then it would be a death with honor, and she would see her beloved and her brother once again.

Today, it seemed, would be a _good_ day. Today, she would finally have hope.

* * *

Wrex, Mordin, Eve, Shepard, Garrus, Wreav, Dundrin Buhto and Tellvik Gath, all stood clustered around the holomap that Wrex was projecting in the center of the room. Around them, the rest of the krogan were busy loading up the tomkahs and preparing for their orders.

"The Shroud tower is here," Wrex indicated. "At the center of the ruins. The Reaper isn't Sovereign class but it's big enough to make our day go badly. It's situated right at the base of the Shroud _here_."

Shepard scanned the maze of old roadway, buildings, walls and bridges that stood between them and the wide area that was their goal. "What were these ruins?"

"One of Tuchanka's biggest cities, back in the day," Wrex said. "Unfortunately, the Shroud being where it is makes it hard to get all our forces in at a straight shot. We have to wind our way there."

"If we bring in the gunships as the ground vehicles reach this point here," Garrus pointed at the map. "Then we can get the tomkahs in. Mordin and a small foot team can hit the Shroud and input the cure."

"The gunships would be wiped out, and most of the ground team as well," Eve said. When Wrex gave her a look, she frowned. "Males are not the only ones that can plan strategy, Wrex."

"_However_ we hit this, we're going to lose numbers," he replied. "That cure getting dispersed is our only goal. Everything else is secondary."

As they spoke, Shepard noticed two strange structures flanking the Shroud tower. Reaching out she highlighted them. "Here, what are these?"

"Maw hammers," Wreav said. "The two biggest on the face of the planet."

"Maw hammers?" Garrus lifted his hand. "You use them to call maws to your Rite, don't you? Is that what these are for?"

Shepard shook her head. "Size of these, they'd call a whole _slew_ of maws."

"No, just one," Wrex said. "This whole city is supposed to be the home of the legendary Kalros."

"Yes. Kalros. Mother of Maws. Biggest, oldest maw in existence. Twenty times size of one Grunt faced during Rite, Shepard. Fifty times the temper. The open space there used to be arena to Kalros. That's why tower was put there. Scare off invaders. Seems to have worked," Mordin said.

"Does this Kalros _actually_ exist?" Shepard asked. Wrex shrugged.

"I've never seen her. No one I know has ever seen her. Then again, no one in their right mind comes _near_ these ruins. If she's real I suppose we'll find out quick enough. A couple dozen tomkah engines roaring over her territory will draw her attention damn fast."

"All right," Shepard straightened. "Here's what we do-"

"No one wants a pyjak's advice!" Wreav glared, only to get cuffed hard by Wrex.

"Shut up, whining mule! If Shepard has a plan, then we _follow_ it. She's got a bigger quad than _you_ ever did."

"Thanks…I think." Del shook her head. "Ok, we need to split up the tomkahs. Half down this route here, half this way. As Garrus said, when they reach this point here, we send in the gunships. I'll radio Joker and have EDI pilot the Sabre down as well. She'll hit the Reaper first…she's got a lot more maneuverability and firepower than the gunships do. We'll send her down when we're at this point here. She'll tenderize the Reaper, disorient it, try and draw it away. Then the gunships hit it. Eve, Mordin, and Vega- you three will take the shuttle. Once it's clear, you land at the rendezvous _here_. Vega, Garrus, Wilcher, Javik, Wrex and I will escort Mordin with the cure to the Shroud tower and keep him covered while he plugs it in and gets this baby humming. Now, contingency plan-"

"Contingency?" Wrex asked.

"I cover all my bases, you know that. On the off chance this Kalros _does_ exist, she's going to be very unhappy…but she _also_ may give us our best shot. If she shows her head, we rendezvous over here instead, on the southern side. Garrus, Javik and I are the lightest and the fastest. We'll run and hit the hammers. That should bring Kalros in, right to the Shroud."

"To do what?" Vega was baffled, folding his arms. "Wipe us all out?"

Wilcher was the one that answered, snorting slightly. "No. I see your plan Del. We bring the angry Kalros in to the Reaper. Let them duke it out while we get to the Shroud tower and put in the cure."

"Exactly. If this maw is even half as big as Mordin said, she'll at least give the Reaper a run for its money. Saves us men _and_ machines."

"All right then. Let's get this done." Wrex straightened. "Buhto, you'll take Dundrin and half of Tellvik down the eastern route. Gath, the other half of your clan will take the gunships and wait for the air-strike. I'll take Urdnot with Shepard's people down the western route. Get to the rendezvous and remember, our priority is the _cure_."

As the krogan began to disperse, Shepard turned to Vega. "You wait for my signal before you bring that shuttle in, understand? You've got the football, and we need to get it to that tower safe. No fancy bullshit."

"I understand, Lola."

She clapped him on the shoulder, then held her hand out to the female krogan, who gently took it. "Eve, in case we don't meet again in this life time…it was an honor."

"It is because of you and Dr. Solus that my people have a chance, Shepard. The honor is mine."

"That's right." Wrex's big hand slapped down on Del's shoulder before he claimed her hand from Eve, gripping it tight. "Del, you have been a friend to the krogan, and a sister to me. No matter what happens, as far as I'm concerned, you are Urdnot Shepard, and I will be glad to fight and die at your side."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to the dying part," Shepard said. "There's no one else I'd rather be in this mess with, Wrex. The krogan deserve this, and they deserve a good leader like you. You keep that in mind before you go stupidly throwing your life away."

He barked a laugh. "I will, so long as you keep _yourself_ alive too. I'd rather face Kalros than have to explain to Blue why you're dead. _Again_."

Vega, Eve, and Mordin made their goodbyes and stepped aboard the shuttle, the salarian giving Del a slight nod as the doors closed.

The others were heading toward the pair of tomkahs parked right in front. Following the crowd, Shepard approached the second one on Wilcher's heels. Just before she climbed aboard she looked in the distance toward the Shroud tower, barely visible from here. Her gloved fingers pressed to the pouch at her side, where Eve's battered chisel rested. Then she lifted her left arm, kissing the glove right over her wrist. Hidden beneath the reinforced leather as a small tattoo; the Chinese characters for Tianlán over a tiny pair of blue roses.

_No matter what, I love you_, she thought, and some part of her prayed that the silently comatose Liara could somehow hear it, no matter what distance- physical or otherwise- separated them.

* * *

Tomkahs were not known for their luxury, and the ride was jarring as they navigated broken roads and cracked thoroughfares, at times crawling right over piles of debris as the vehicle rocked like a ship in a storm. Javik looked serene, Garrus stoic, but Wilcher looked almost like he was going to be ill.

Radioing up to the _Normandy_, Del told Joker their plan with the Sabre, and EDI prepared to interact with the AI and bring the fighter down. She then checked with Vega that Mordin and Eve were all right, before calling up to Chakwas.

"How's she doing, Doc?"

_{No change as of now, but her brain scans are promising. I'd say another few hours and she should be back with us.}_

"That's good to hear, Helen. Let her know that…let her know I'm thinking of her."

_{I will, Shepard. Things all right down there? You're not in another sticky situation are you?}_

Shepard smirked. "C'mon, Doc, you know me."

_{Yes, I do. I will prepare some extra blood packs and splints. I have a feeling I'm going to need them.}_

The tomkah suddenly rumbled to halt, and Shepard frowned. They shouldn't be there yet. Moving to the front, she touched the driver's shoulder. "Why are we stopped?"

"Not sure. Whole convoy just halted."

Turning back, she opened the hatch on the side and jumped out, heading toward the lead tomkah that Wrex was riding in. Spotting the clan leader as he climbed out she walked over. "What's going on?"

"Bridge is out ahead," he said. "Have to plot a reroute."

"Wonderful. How's the other convoy doing?"

"Moving steadily enough. Gunships are waiting our orders."

"The Sabre should be on its way down. EDI will hold it in upper atmo until I signal."

"Hope that thing's as good as you say. We're gonna need it."

"It's _better_." Del grinned, then turned and headed back toward her people. "Bridge is out. We're plotting a reroute. It's going to delay us a bit-"

A faint vibration seemed to well up under her feet like water seeping through a crack. Wilcher apparently felt it too, because his nostrils flared wide a moment before it fell still.

"I gotta _bad_ feeling," he said, and Del nodded her agreement. Her gut was all but screaming at her.

Slowly, unconsciously, her hand stole toward her rifle, then froze as the hair on the back of her neck seemed to lift. For a moment, the entire world held its breath.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly seemed to fold upward, a geyser of dirt erupting into the air. The stones she stood on were no longer solid, flying away from each other and throwing her backward. Boulders the size of some of the tomkahs hung in the air, hovering a moment as light as feathers hundreds of feet above her. Her eyes fixed on the mad patchwork of orange sky, dirt, stone, and gleaming scale the universe seemed to have become.

She heard the groan of metal as she fell backward. She should have come up hard on the road but instead she kept falling, past a wall of scales that snicked and clanged like an army of swords clashing in some momentous battle. Then her view was obscured as the tomkah leaned and tumbled after her, bearing down toward her.

Her shoulder hit something and in an instant she was skidding instead of falling, twenty tons of heavy metal beating into the ground just past her feet. She hit something else, tumbling in a stomach lurching kaleidoscope of chaos. Just before dark stole her away, she heard a familiar cry, the triumphant roar of a thresher maw raised to deafening heights.

Kalros had come.

* * *

The first sound was a heavy, dry cough that rattled like old bones in the dark. Lifting her head, Shepard heard the buzz and hiss of static in her ear, and pressed an aching hand to the side of her helmet. Something tumbled past her, a rock or a chunk of roadway, and was gone from sight.

With a groan, she switched her flashing HUD to infrared, the outlines of her surroundings suddenly leaping up in whites and reds around her.

The cough again, and she recognized the voice.

"Wilcher?" She grit her teeth, trying to sit. Something had her pinned from the waist down. Her hands groped along it, trying to figure it out. It was hard but not heavy enough to be rock. "Wilcher!"

"Del?" Another cough, a form moving in the dark. "You ok?"

"I'm fucking pinned." She craned her head around, and the big man's form leapt out in bright outlines of his body heat. He was crouching, holding his head. "I see you. You ok?"

"Yeah, just a bit…bit _rattled_. Where are you?"

"Your three o'clock, about ten feet. That's it…stop. I'm right here."

He reached her side and crouched, touching her helmet before reaching downward and finding what was pinning her.

"You hurt?" he asked.

"Bit sore and banged around, but nothing to write home about. Can you move it?"

"Yeah…it's one of the krogan. Or…part of one. _Most_ of one. Hang on."

He heaved, shoving the heavy armored torso off of her legs and sending it tumbling further down into the dark. Shepard sat up, dusting a hand over her face plate as she looked around.

They were in an enclosed chamber, resting on a slope. It seemed huge but fairly rectangular. At least a dozen yards above them she could see the broken ceiling clogged with the same flood of dirt, tomkah, and road they now lay on.

Gripping Wilcher's arm and bracing her feet, she got upright, touching her helmet again. "Garrus! Javik! Report!"

A soft hiss was her response, and her gut tightened again. The slope was at least twenty or thirty tons of dirt and concrete. If they had been buried beneath it…

"Garrus! Answer me, damn it! Javik! You two ok?"

_{Here, Shepard.}_ Garrus's voice was a relief, taut and pain-filled as it might be. _{I'm here.}_

"Injuries? Can you tell your location?"

_{Just banged around real good, I think I'm all right.}_

She spotted motion further down slope and to her left, and gripped Wilcher's arm. "I see you, Garrus. We're right above you. Stay put, we're gonna work our way down."

Switching off her infrared she lit her omni-light, the bright illumination cutting a swathe through the dark. Wilcher fumbled for his, doing the same, and both beams fixed to the dazed and blinking turian. They picked their way down the unstable slope, quickly reaching his side.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Not sure," Del said. "But I remember scales. I think our friend Kalros isn't a legend."

"Fantastic. You can put a collar on her. I'm sure Liara'd like a new pet."

"Yeah, I think you hit your _head_, Vakarian."

She touched her radio again. "Javik! You still breathing? Can you hear me? Report, damn it!"

Nothing but silence. "Fuck. If he's buried under this shit-"

"If he's buried under this, there's no helping him," Wilcher said.

Garrus got woozily to his feet, switching on his omni-light as well. Shepard pointed hers downward, and realized they were almost at the bottom of the slope. Just a few feet below was smooth floor. Edging downward, she planted her boots on solid ground, then turned and started scanning the slope behind her, still looking for Javik.

There was no sign of the Prothean, but the light did cross the remains of a second krogan, obviously dead. Half of a tomkah poked out of the dirt like a rude tongue.

"Javik, _goddamnit_!"

"I am here."

The voice came from behind her, not over the radio. She turned around to see the man standing not a foot away from her, regarding her calmly.

"Fuck! Why the fuck didn't you answer me?"

"My radio is not working," he replied. "I think it was damaged in the fall. I did not hear you."

"Shepard, I've got something on the walls here."

Turning away from Javik, Del joined her light to Wilcher's, revealing odd paintings lining the stone walls. They were primitive but the subjects in them were clearly krogan.

"We must have fallen through to a lower level of the city," he said.

"Well, we're not getting out the way we came. Start looking for some kind of tunnel or door."

As the big man started away with Garrus, she switched frequencies. Almost immediately Wrex's voice filled her ear.

_{…in, Shepard. Goddamn it, I know you're too damn stubborn to die! Answer me!}_

"Damn right I'm too stubborn, Wrex. I'm here. What's the situation?"

Gruff as he was, she could hear the relief in his voice_. {I knew I would still have to put up with you a while. We got hit by Kalros. Damn worm is even bigger than we thought. Came up right through the road and took half the convoy out. We're on the move but she's still on our ass!}_

"We won't be any help," she said. "Garrus, Wilcher, Javik and I are all right but we're in some kind of underground room, and the way out is blocked with a mountain's worth of dirt. Any ideas?"

_{This city supposedly extends seven levels underground. Kalros probably uses some of the older structures down there as a lair, or a roadway to move without having to slice through dirt. It's never been mapped. You're gonna have to find a way to the surface, Shepard. We'll try and lose this big girl, circle back and pick you up.}_

"We'll figure it out Wrex. Just keep moving, and keep your radio line open. I'll signal you once we get out of here."

"I will be able to help some," Javik said as she lowered her head with a muffled curse. "It has been centuries, but if I touch the walls some trace of the memories of those who called this place home may remain unbroken. They will have known the way out and can guide us."

"Sounds like the best plan we got."

"Del, we've got a doorway over here!" Wilcher's voice echoed from the gloom.

Shepard and Javik worked their way around to rejoin the other two. The pair stood peering into an archway, their lights shining down a broken and leaning hall of some kind.

"Doesn't look very safe, but it's the only exit," Garrus said as she reached them.

"We haven't got much choice. Javik, do your thing."

The Prothean edged into the archway and removed his glove, placing his hand almost gingerly on the wall and closing his eyes. After a moment, he took a few steps further on, and repeated the action. Then he nodded.

"There are traces left. I see threads of minds, broken images, memory. I believe we must work our way east. There…is a grand chamber about half a mile in that direction. It should lead to a road that goes to the surface."

"He's better than a GPS," Wilcher said with a grin. Shepard entered the tunnel, giving Javik a companionable slap to the shoulder as she stepped past him, drawing her rifle.

"You get us out of here and I take back everything I said about you, Four Eyes."

"_Qù n__ǐ__ māde_," he said tautly in return, and Del grinned.

* * *

_Qù n__ǐ__ māde_ = Your Mom


	41. Chapter 41

The line of tomkahs rumbled over the cracked slope, treads chewing up rock and dirt, sending thin mists of dry sand into the air. As the convoy reached the bottom they slowed to a halt, sides cracking open and krogan beginning to pour out.

A hundred yards further on, obscured by sailing walls, the arena began. Through gaps in the ruin, the Reaper could be seen, a wall of black metallic death as yet oblivious of them.

As Buhto's boots hit dirt he activated his radio. "Wrex, this is Dundrin Buhto. The second convoy is at the rendezvous. What is your status?"

_{Half our convoy is gone and we're being chased by Kalros on the southern end! Mass your men and hold for our signal!}_

"Kalros?" Buhto frowned, turning and scaling tumbled blocks of debris as he pulled out his binocs. It was hard to see any distance, his view obscured and broken by the eroded buildings and bridges. He could feel a distant thunder under his feet, but had chalked that up to the Reaper moving around. "We cannot see you from this vantage, Wrex!"

_{Just hold tight where you are! Wait for our signal!}_

Scowling, the old battlemaster turned and leapt down. "All right, we hold this position! I want a perimeter at fifty yards, and weapons ready! Where there's a Reaper there are husks of some kind, no telling when they'll poke their ugly mugs out."

His oldest boy, Krag, strode up. "The other convoy should be in position already. Why are we waiting?"

"Seems Kalros isn't a legend. She's taken out half the other convoy. They have their hands full."

"Kalros?" The young krogan's eyes blazed with thoughts of glory. "I'll take twenty of the boys, we'll go and take her down-"

He broke off as his father slammed a fist over his head. "You do what you are told, Krag! We hold this position!"

"Battlemaster!"

A high, feminine voice was the last thing that Buhto expected to hear. Frowning, he turned his head. "_Eír_? That _is_ you, isn't it? What are _you_ doing here?"

"I jumped on the last tomkah as the convoy was leaving. I am here to help."

"Eír! Ha!" Krag was clearly pleased to see her, shaking her hand and slapping her hard on the shoulder. "Where's Thug?"

Lavender eyes turned aqueous, the asari's happy smile fading a bit. "Thug…met his glory," she said.

Krag looked wilted a moment, looking at his father. Buhto shook his head sadly.

"How did he go?"

The asari girl seemed to hesitate, but there was no lie in her eyes when she spoke again. "In battle. _Honorably_, Battlemaster. He did your training proud. He did his _clan_ proud."

"I am sure that he did," Buhto said. "When we battle today, we shall shout his name, and this victory will be his as well as ours."

"He would be honored, Battlemaster. You…will allow me to fight under your command?"

"Are you kidding?" He laughed. "You're _Dundrin_, girl! Now get up on that wall over there, and keep an eye out for incoming hostiles."

As the girl started past to obey, he caught her arm, and nodded heavily. "It is _good _to have you back, Eír."

* * *

Shepard was not a claustrophobic woman by nature. Facing true dangers every day was her bread and butter, after all. Her real fears were far less confrontable, less quantifiable, than mere tunnels underground. Helplessness was her phobia. A problem she could not tackle head on, a problem that defied her strength and intelligence, one that threatened to take the lives of those she cared about, leaving her powerless in its wake…_that_ was what she truly feared.

Yet even she had to admit that these ancient tunnels ran more than one shiver down her spine.

Perhaps it was simply because they were so old, the occasional rain of dust spilling from corners or ceiling now and again seeming to whisper how easily thousands of tons of dirt could bury them forever. Or, perhaps it was the way the air would shift through them as pressure changes on the surface caused eddies and wind flows that moaned like old, whispering voices…the old songs of long dead krogan lamenting the ruin of their world.

It seemed she was not the only one teased by childish fears down here. "You know, I never was one for believing in ghosts," Garrus said. "This place though…it feels thick with them."

"There are many memories here," Javik said. He was walking at Shepard's flank, his hand stealing out to touch the wall now and again. "Many old and noble souls lived here a long time ago."

"Just so long as they stay out of our way," Shepard said. A shiver in the earth seemed to answer her, a long and moaning tremble that grew steadily louder. More dirt sifted from above them, before the rumble seemed to fade in another direction.

"Gotta be Kalros, still chasing the convoy," Wilcher said after it had died. "That worm comes busting around to close and this whole place will collapse on us."

"Keep moving," Shepard ordered. "Javik, are we at least getting close?"

"I think we are close, but we must move deeper first. There should be some stairs…"

"Deeper? Why _deeper_? Aren't we supposed to be heading for the surface?" Wilcher sounded angry, which Del knew meant he was actually frightened. Claustrophobia might not be on her list of big scaries, but apparently the feeling was not universal.

"Hang in there, big guy," she said, touching his elbow.

"We must go down to reach the hall I mentioned," Javik said. "There is a road upward from there. It is the only way. There should be stairs soon, a place where a great warrior is resting."

"Like a _tomb_? This just gets better and better."

Stairs did appear a couple of turns later. As they reached them, Del activated her radio again. "Wrex? Status!"

_{I think we may have lost her. We have to keep moving. Second convoy is in place. We're going to circle around wide just to be sure. Are you above ground?}_

"Not yet, but hopefully soon. Keep circling and I'll ping you when we're out."

_{Just hurry. I like Kalros even less when I __**don't **__know where she is.}_

The stairs were broken, some missing outright. They navigated downward carefully, hopping over the gaps as best they could, taking turns clearing each corner as they descended. The ground rumbled again, giving them pause, and Shepard swore she could feel the stone beneath her feet crumbling away a bit.

"That one sounded closer," Garrus said as it faded again. "Kalros bursts into these tunnels and we stand no chance."

"Then we'd better double time it. Keep moving," Del ordered.

She knew hers wasn't the only sigh of relief when they got to the bottom of the stairs safely. Rifle ready, she moved down the short hall and cleared the door before waving the others onward, into the small room.

The rock walls here were polished, slabs of what looked like granite and marble forming a simple lidded box affixed to the center of the floor. Far too small to be a sarcophagus, the structure appeared as if it could contain a helmet, but nothing larger.

More paintings festooned the walls, and a twisted statue of some kind, half broken, was set into a large alcove to their left. Wilcher's omni-light played over it and he grimaced a little.

"Krogan back then were sure into ugly."

"They are not much better now," Del said, crouching by the 'box'. "Javik, do you know what this is?"

The Prothean crouched as well, lightly touching the structure. "This is the resting place. A great warrior lies here."

"You mean a _tiny_ warrior," Garrus said. "A child couldn't even fit in that."

The Prothean inclined his head a little, his voice impatient. "He was set aflame upon his death. His ashes were gathered and sealed in bronze, and then placed here. We would do better not to disturb this place."

"Fine by me," Shepard said, slapping her hands together to clear the dust from her gloves as she straightened. "Garrus, point. Let's keep moving."

They headed out of the odd tomb, and two turns later, they entered the big 'hall' Javik had mentioned; a cavernous space the size of a cathedral. Unlike the tunnels, there was light here, breaking in thin shafts from the cracked ceiling a hundred feet above.

"Sunlight," Shepard said, switching off her omni-light. "We can't be far from getting out of here."

"Look, Shepard. Is that…? That's _vegetation_."

She squinted in the direction Garrus was pointing. Nestled in tenuous patches where each shaft of sunlight hit soil, was some kind of flowering ivy, growing and in some areas even flourishing despite the hostile Tuchankan landscape. As they made their way across the vast floor, Del paused at one such patch, bending and regarding the cluster of tiny yellow blooms.

"Even in death, life finds a way," Wilcher said. Shepard smiled faintly, carefully breaking off a sprig of the flowers and slipping them into the pouch at her side.

"Yes it does. C'mon. We-"

The rumble again, much stronger and louder. A few bricks and stones broke loose from the gaps far above them and rained down, crashing like mortar shots as they hit the floor. Unlike before, the shaking did not grow fainter but only seemed to increase, and soon they were underneath a deadly rain of hundred pound stones and debris.

"_Run!"_

Shepard's order was almost unnecessary. The entire roof seemed about to collapse and their only option was to try and get to the far thoroughway that lead out, before they were buried alive.

The four pelted across the cathedral floor, a wide umbrella of shimmering green descending around them. For a moment, Shepard was baffled- and then remembered that Javik was actually a biotic, and apparently a strong one.

At any other time she might have pondered why the Prothean's manipulation of dark energy displayed in the emerald spectrum rather than the sapphire, but given the moment's circumstances the thought didn't even fully cross her mind.

Despite her heavy implants, Del was still lighter and faster than Wilcher and Garrus, and could easily have outsped them. To do so, however, would have been contrary to her very nature, to her unrelenting drive to protect those under her command at all costs. She forced herself to slow, urging the other three ahead before taking up flank, trying to remain under the scope of the biotic barrier.

Stone bounced off of the barrier and slammed into the ground, raining in death all around them, forcing them to leap or circumvent the larger chunks that ended up in their path.

Then, from out of one wall, came Kalros.

The enormous maw raped its way into the cathedral as if tearing through wet tissue paper, replacing half the cathedral room with an avalanche of roiling rock and dirt that rushed forward in front of her inexorable press. The sheer size of the beast was unreal, the maw's belly scraping the cathedral floor even as the huge, sharp plate ridges on her back tore through the already tattered ceiling.

It seemed the creature gave no mind to them, if it even noticed what had to be ants to its perception. It's weight crashed to the ground and then ripped through it as the maw forced its way down through the floor, sharp plates carving its way easily. Endlessly the huge body bisected the chamber, tearing down the remains of the roof and devastating all in its path.

When at last Kalros had gone, the rumbling fading and dying away, the cathedral was no longer recognizable. A churned up mess of rock and debris replaced the wall she had entered through. A crevasse of unknown depth marked where she had passed. Hills and mountains of dirt flanked each side, silence now broken by the soft tumbling of settling stone, the hiss of sliding earth. Sunlight and surface heat poured in, casting fiery lances of yellow and gold in every direction.

Something stirred.

Coughing hoarsely, a mound of the dirt moved and shifted, revealing itself to be a man. Wilcher struggled drunkenly to his feet, pressing a hand against the dented side of his helmet. Staggering a moment, he gaped at the ruin around him, then fumbled for his radio connection.

"Del? Can you hear me? Garrus, Javik, please respond."

Nothing, not even the hiss of a connection. His radio was dead. Unfastening his helmet he worked it off, dropping it aside. The air was thick with dust and he coughed again, swiping a hand over his sweating face, before cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"Here!"

He turned, orienting on the pained grunt, and started along the edge of the slope. Garrus stumbled into view, cradling one arm. He, too, had peeled his helmet off…or lost it in the chaos. His mandibles flapped faintly as he caught sight of the human.

"Good to see you in one piece," he said.

"How bad you hurt?"

"Busted my arm. Bit banged around, but otherwise not much to speak of. Where's Shepard?"

"Not sure."

Wilcher reached out, helping Garrus get all the way down to solid ground again, then called out once more. "Shepard! Javik! Shout out if you can hear me!"

* * *

Javik blinked blood out of his eyes, tightening his grip on the rock as best he could. Shifting a little, he wedged a boot in a crack in the side of the crevasse, easing himself down another inch or two.

"_Shepard! Javik! Shout out if you can hear me!"_

From somewhere above, he heard the faint shout. Not bothering with his voice, he lifted his free arm and sent a biotic blast into the air, an emerald flare that would let them know his position. Fixing his eyes below him again, he swiped more blood back with an irritated flick of his wrist, then held his hand out, fingers spread.

An orb of green fire swelled around it, lighting up the darkness a bit. He could not see a bottom to the crevasse on which he was clinging. The light did, however, illuminate what had caught his eye earlier.

"Captain, can you hear me?"

"Yeah." Del's voice was tight and gritted through clenched teeth. "Bit…_precarious_ here."

"Yes, I can see that. Try not to move."

"Why didn't _I_ think of that?"

Dirt sifted down around him and Javik looked upward, seeing Wilcher and Garrus as they appeared over the crest of the debris, looking downward.

"Javik! You ok? Hang on, we'll get you!"

"I am fine, but the Captain is a bit…_less_ fine."

"Where is she?"

"Other side of the chasm!"

He illuminated her again, and heard Wilcher take in a sharp breath. Garrus, surprisingly, barked out a laugh before he called out.

"Shepard, hold still!"

"_No fucking kidding_!" Came the irritated grunt. "Quit your fucking laughing, Vakarian, and get me _out_ of here!"

"Javik, can you reach her with your biotics?" Wilcher called.

"I am trying to get down a little further. Keep your lights on her if you can."

Both omni-lights fixed on Del, and the Prothean let his biotics die, returning his grip to the wall and painstakingly descending another dozen feet.

* * *

Trying to tighten her grip as much as she could on the wall, Shepard scowled against the rock. "I'm never going to live this down. Vakarian better not be taking pictures or _so help me_ I'll _shove_ his crest so far up his ass…"

Somehow, in the chaos, Del had been tossed against the far chasm wall, just as the maw was retreating. Her boot had gotten wedged in a crack at the impact, and now she was hanging upside down, face against the rock wall. Her fingers were clinging as best they could to the uneven wall but there was very little purchase, and at every slight movement she could feel her boot slip free just a little. The chasm was too dark to see its depth, but she had no doubt a fall would be fatal.

She could hear the rattle and scrape as Javik carefully moved down the wall. By the sound he was at least twenty feet above her. Why he had to climb down rather than just use his biotics from there was beyond her…unless he didn't have a clear line of sight.

"Hang on, Del!" Garrus called again, making her scowl.

"I swear to _God_, if you-"

Her foot slipped a little and she cut off with a sharp intake of breath, her hands flattening against the rock to steady herself. Unlike before, the motion didn't stop, and she could feel her boot still slipping ever so slightly, her weight moving it outward millimeter by millimeter.

"_Javik!"_

"Nearly there!"

Just as her boot slipped out of the crack, she felt a rush of static energy around her, making her weightless. Her stomach lurched a bit as she swung around upright, lifting and then moving back onto solid ground. She dropped to the dirt as the biotic bubble vanished, and sagged down into a sit.

"Shepard, you ok?" Garrus called over the chasm.

"I'm fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, getting to her feet. Javik rose up out of the chasm as well a moment later, settling down at her side.

"Couldn't you have…I dunno, floated down to me and then floated us both back out?"

"I should have been able to, but my biotics were greatly weakened by the barrier," he replied. "They should not have been. I do not understand."

"You got some juice left? Think you can get Garrus and Wilcher over to this side?"

It was a bit of a struggle, but Javik was able to transfer the turian and the big human man to the opposing side of the chasm, falling into a sit even as they landed. Shepard crouched beside him, shedding her helmet. "You ok?"

"This is alarming," he replied. "I should not be this weak. I should have been able to do ten times as much without feeling strain."

"Fifty thousand years in cryo…that's got to have some unforeseen side-effects," Garrus said. Javik wearily nodded.

"We'll have Chakwas look you over when we get back to the ship," Shepard said. "For now…can you walk?"

"Yes. I am strong enough in body, at any rate."

"Good. Then let's get out of this fuckhole before Kalros comes back. I don't fancy our chances on a second meeting."

* * *

Only five of the ten tomkahs they had started out with appeared to meet Shepard and her team, rattling over loose stone before pulling to a halt. Shepard and the others ran over, ducking inside the lead one as the side door swung open.

Wrex hauled the door shut the moment the last of them were on board, and slapped the back of the driver's seat. "Go!"

As the convoy started off again, he looked at Del. "All in one piece?"

"More or less," she said. "We had a lovely tour of your city, visited a mausoleum, and nearly got crushed by a giant fucking maw that decided to take a shortcut through the room we were in."

"Sounds like fun. You know, I heard the legends since I was a hatchling, but even I didn't expect she'd be so huge. She's a thing of beauty, isn't she?"

"We weren't exactly admiring her beauty when she was ripping the world apart around us," Garrus told him.

"She's raw power, complete strength, nothing but instinctive rage," Wrex said proudly. "If Tuchanka has a heart, it's Kalros."

"Right now I'd rather have Kalros be Tuchanka's sword instead of her heart," Shepard said, then activated her com. "Shepard to all: we're nearly to the southern rendezvous. Gunships stand by. EDI, you in position?"

_{Yes, Shepard. The Sabre is in position and ready for its assault run.}_

"Good. Second convoy, what is your status?"

_{This is Dundrin Blik. We are in position and waiting signal. Gunships are powered and ready to swing in on your notice.}_

"Good. Stand by for attack signal. Shuttle team, be powered and standing by. On the second signal, you swing in to the southern rendezvous. "

_{Acknowledged.}_

* * *

The first convoy reached its position at the flank of the arena without further incident. As the vehicles slid to a halt, Shepard swung the door up and jumped out. Drawing her weapon, she and Garrus rushed forward toward the nearest archway in the wall, clearing it before peeking through. From here, two stories above the sunken arena floor, they could see the giant Reaper. Not Sovereign class, perhaps, but big enough. _More_ than big enough.

A hundred yards across open ground was the entrance to the Shroud tower. Thankfully, the structure looked undamaged. Turning back she called toward Wrex.

"Get your men in position!"

"This is going to be hot, Shepard," Garrus said.

"Scared, Vakarian?"

"No, just worried about the condition of your armor. Not sure how damp it is after you nearly fell down that crevasse."

She punched him on the shoulder pad and he feigned injury, grasping his arm. "Wow, all right, bit touchy about the hanging upside down thing. Noted."

"If I was touchy about it I'd have _shot_ you," she said as she headed back toward Wrex and the others. "All right, we're ready to do this. It's not a straight shot to the hammers. Looks like we'll have to go down about two stories and to opposite ends of the arena. Javik and I will hit the eastern hammer, Garrus and Wilcher hit the western. Wrex, as soon as those hammers go off send the signal to the gunships and the fighter and move in to the attack. Remember, we have to get that Reaper away from the tower enough that we can get Mordin in with the cure-"

"Sir, we've got husks in the ruins," a scout interrupted, running up. "They're surrounding the arena."

"Great, target practice," Wrex said with a grin. "We go on your signal, Shepard."

Moving back to the archway, Shepard scouted her route to the hammer with a critical eye. "Ok, we're about to go. Javik with me, Garrus and Wilcher to the other hammer. We've got husks so keep them peeled and keep moving. As soon as you hit the hammer haul ass back here to escort Mordin in."

There was a chorus of 'aye's and Javik moved up to Del's side, drawing out his rifle. She eyed him carefully. "You up for this?"

"I am fine," he said, an indignant glower on his face. "Let's do this."

Shepard kissed her wrist again, almost unconsciously. "Ok…here we go."

* * *

It went bad from the very start.

They rushed out along the catwalk ringing the arena, running as fast as they could for the stairs. It seemed to Shepard that they had barely started out into the open than she heard the Reaper blare that gut-wrenching trumpet. She heard rock explode, the ground shaking underfoot. Javik was a few steps behind her as they reached the stairs.

A lance of crimson, white hot, swept through the arena wall only a few feet in front of her, shattering the wall and eliminating the stairs. Moving too fast to stop, Shepard pitched forward and found herself tumbling down. Pain ruptured through her shoulder as she hit something with force, and she tumbled, skidding to a halt in a cloud of dirt. Lurching to her feet, she realized she was on the arena floor, the stairs and a good portion of the wall now a smoking ruin. Javik looked down at her, still on the upper level. Even from here, she could see he was bleeding. She waved at him firmly to go back, oriented herself, and took off.

Arms and legs pumping furiously, Del ran across flat, open ground, her eyes and mind fixed on her destination. She heard the shouts over her headset, the high whisper of the Sabre's engine as it sailed in, the low blasts as it hit the Reaper. Moments later, the deeper engines of the gunships joined the fight, and the battle grew too chaotic to pick out individual sounds.

She didn't dare look, urging every iota of speed out of her legs.

One of the gunships was hit by the Reaper. Tumbling, shattered metal alive with fire and smoke flashed by in front of her. Ducking her head, she rushed right through the flames, her HUD instantly flashing with armor damage, her breath stolen by an incredible heat that penetrated even her protective padding. Then she was through it, trailing smoke behind her as she continued on.

Reaching the far wall she bolted up the steps toward the controls of the hammer just as a swarm of husks appeared, charging her way. Snatching out her rifle she opened fire, the first two or three breaking apart into clouds of ash. Her fist slammed into the head of another that loomed too close, throwing it back, tearing free of the gripping hands of yet more.

She skidded to a stuttering stop, slamming into the hammer controls hard enough to bark her air out. Slapping her fist down she activated the hammer, then whirled and opened fire. The moaning husks collapsed under the barrage just as she felt the first of the hammer strikes drum into the ground, the impact seeming to ripple through the very air in front of her.

It was only then she realized someone was frantically shouting her name.

_{..pard! Shepard!}_

"Wrex! Shepard here! First hammer is activated!"

_{Shepard! That Reaper took out half the wall over here! Second team never made it a hundred feet! We can't get to the second hammer!}_

"Fuck!" She blew away another husk, rushing to the edge of the wall. "Wrex, I got a straight shot from here. I'll hit the second hammer, just keep the heat on that Reaper!"

Garrus's weak, obviously pained voice replaced Wrex's. _{Del, that's a hundred yard sprint at least, over open land! You'll be completely exposed!}_

Ignoring him, Del ran back the way she came, half sliding down the steps to ground level again. She cast a glance at the Reaper. The tomkahs and the gunships were hitting it with everything they had, the Reaper striking back with lances of deadly crimson, tearing up the arena and decimating the krogan. It looked like the Shroud tower had been hit, smoke rising from somewhere along its length. The Sabre was darting in and out like an angry wasp, quick and agile enough that it had avoided damage.

Heart already thundering, lungs burning, Del shipped her rifle and snatched out her pistols. Fixing her eyes on her destination, she took off across the field of battle.

A geyser of dirt erupted, showering her with dry soil and rock, the concussion nearly knocking her off her feet. Stumbling, she regained her balance, not daring to slow. Something huge exploded close by and she instinctively threw an arm up to protect her head. A pair of batarian husks lumbered her way, guns igniting. She felt a bullet whine off her armor and opened fire, dropping one, then darting aside as a piece of flaming debris crushed the second one.

Reaching the far side of the arena, she hit the stairs and pelted upward, rounding the final corner.

A roar filled her ears, a huge hand sweeping down.

One of those krogan abominations loomed out of the smoke, its fist slamming into her even as she registered that something was there. She felt at least one rib break as she was hit, her feet catching on the top of the stairs before she tumbled down, crashing into the landing.

Coughing painfully, trying to recover her air, Shepard weakly started up to her feet as the brute smashed part of the wall away, forcing its way down after her. With a snarl, Del surged forward, barely missing a second swipe as she swung an arm around its skinny neck.

The thing reared back, hauling her up off her feet as she planted her pistol against what passed as its skull, and opened fire. Bullets ate their way past heavy bone, destroying what passed for its brain. Dead on its feet, the brute stumbled and went to its knees. Releasing it, she tried to push away and crashed hard to the ground, her helmet slapping stone hard enough to crack the back-plate, the weight of one massive arm draped over her. Gasping for air, her broken rib like a knife sunk into her side, Shepard grit her teeth and heaved the arm off of her, sliding out from underneath it and then scaling over the ugly body, limping up the steps and toward the final hammer console.

With an earth-shuddering boom, the second maw hammer swung into life, joining the rhythm of its mate to pound its call deep into the soils of Tuchanka.

Tasting copper in the back of her throat, Del could feel her body shaking as she turned and looked toward the looming Reaper still dealing its fire. The broken and flaming remains of a dozen tomkahs and gunships lay littered around it, the ruined arena now a smoldering graveyard. The Shroud tower itself was badly damaged and seemed to be on fire. From what Del could see, the darting Sabre was the only thing left in the air.

_{You did it!}_ Wrex's bellow in her ear made her jolt. _{Let's hope Kalros answers the call. Mordin's shuttle just landed with the cure.}_

Turning, Shepard worked her way back over the dead brute, one hand plastered to the red hot ache in her side. As she reached the arena floor, she braced herself on the wall, feeling that now-familiar tremble deep in the ground.

Hitting her radio she cried, "Draw back! Kalros is coming! _All units draw back_!"

Out of the already wounded soil of Tuchanka came the mother of all thresher maws. She sailed up out of the shivering ground as if launched by an exploding volcano, her great jaws spread wide enough to swallow the _Normandy. _In seeming defiance of all natural law, she hung in the air a moment, a primeval god about to wreak its vengeance upon the dark forces that sought to take its domain.

Then she was on the Reaper, winding around it like a constrictor intent on suffocating its prey. Metal groaned and the Reaper stumbled, one leg and then another buckling under the pressure, the great plates that lined Kalros' body lighting sparks as they sang against its foe.

A hot lance of fire quaked from the Reaper's belly, seeking to slice its attacker free, but as it began to fall, the strike missed, sailing harmlessly away. The crash of the two leviathans as they struck the ground stumbled Shepard off her feet again, and she hissed in pain as she caught herself against the wall.

Kalros had toppled her foe, but she was not content with that victory. The entire north side of the arena seemed to churn in a black hole of broken earth as Kalros continued to crush her trophy, pulling it downward into the maelstrom. Pushing herself back to a stand, Shepard could only stare as Tuchanka finished her victory over that which had sought to subdue her.

As the ground settled, the rumbling fading away, she became aware of her own pounding heart beat, the throbbing aches assailing her from all sides, and the rich taste of blood in the back of her throat. Her ears were filled with a hundred voices roaring and cheering and calling, and with a wince she tuned her radio in to just Wrex.

To her surprise, he didn't sound happy.

_{…damn salarian! Get back here!}_

"Wrex, what's going on?"

_{Mordin just took off! He's got the cure!}_

"The fuck…" She switched her band. "Mordin! What are you doing?"

_{Shroud damaged, on fire.}_ The salarian sounded even more hyper than normal, his pants indicating he was running. _{Must input cure before necessary equipment damaged, cannot wait!}_

"You need a fucking _escort_," she said, limping forward across what was left of this side of the arena. In the distance she spotted a form clamber down some broken rocks, and picked up her pace. "Mordin, it could be crawling with Reapers!"

_{No time! Must input now!}_

"_Fuck._" Grinding her teeth down on the pain, she broke into a run, drawing her pistol again as she pelted once again across the warzone toward the Shroud tower.

Not able to move nearly as fast as she had been, Del wove her way through still smoldering debris. She knew that Mordin could take care of himself, of course, but all he needed was to be beset by a pair of those krogan brutes and he was done for.

There'd be no cure, no help for Palaven, no help for Earth. _Everything_ would fall apart.

_Earth can stand on its own. Everything you've done for Wrex and his kind, and look what it's gotten you. Hurt, nearly __**killed**__. _

She scowled, gritting her teeth and kept on. All the sacrifices she'd made, everything she'd done and what purpose had it served? They were really no closer to a way to defeat the Reapers than they had been before. As always, the other species could only whine and pule and make her do their dirty work, and for _what_? So they could ignore her? Scoff at her? Pat her on the head like a good little Spectre and send her on her way?

"No. No, stop it Del. Stop it."

Wrex's voice filled her ear again. _{Shepard, where are you? Where's Mordin?} _

"Shroud…I'm nearly there."

A harsh cough seized her chest, spreading flame in its wake, and she struggled it down, forcing herself to go faster.

The base of the Shroud tower was hazy with smoke, though not much of it. It seemed the fires were burning higher than this vantage. Despite her fears, no husks were in evidence, only banks of equipment and Mordin, who was working with his back to her.

Lowering her pistol Shepard hung her head a little, still fighting to catch her breath. "Mordin, fuck…you couldn't wait _two fucking seconds_?"

"No, cannot wait. Significant damage to Shroud tower."

"I can see that, but there could have been significant damage to _you_ if this place had been crawling with husks!"

"True. My safety secondary. Krogan cure primary objective."

"Jesus fuck, Mordin!"

He ignored her, continuing to work. As she neared him she shook her head, then looked upward as the tower seemed to groan ominously.

"Mordin, we need to get out of here," she said. "This whole place could collapse."

"Almost done."

Fury descended over her. Her pistol snapped up and aimed at the back of his head. "_Mordin_! Forget the cure, we _need_ to get _out_ of here!"

"Forget cure?" Mordin sounded baffled, and glanced back at her. Spotting the gun, he went still a moment. "I see."

"_Leave it_," she said. "It's not worth it!"

"Shepard, not thinking clearly. Think of Eve. Wrex. Grunt. Your friends."

"_Fuck them_! Step away from the _fucking_ console, Mordin, or so _help_ me…!"

"This is not you, Shepard," Mordin said softly, almost sadly. "Have to finish. Will have to shoot me."

He turned back to the console and her hand tightened on the butt of the pistol. "Mordin! I'm _warning _you!"

"Something's wrong," he said, not looking at her. "Ah, yes. Temperature variances too high. STG input failsafe, sabotage…smart. Cure will not work unless I correct."

"_Mordin!"_

He stepped away from the console and headed for a lift on the far side of the room.

"Where are you going?" she demanded, following after him, her pistol still aimed.

"Must correct temperature variance or cure will not work," he said. "Cannot do from here, must go up."

"_Just fucking __**leave **__it_! Let the krogan think they've been cured!"

He ignored her and hit the call for the lift…then jumped as her pistol fired, the bullet spanking into the wall only a few inches to his right. Slowly he turned to look at her.

"Don't make me kill you, Mordin," she warned.

"Wyatt talking. Not you. It's all right, Shepard. Understand if you shoot me, but cannot stop. My mistake. So many dead. Must rectify."

_Wyatt talking…_

With a shuddering breath, Del realized what she was doing. Her stomach turned as she lowered the pistol, sagging against the console as it dropped from her fingers. "God…Mordin, I could have…"

"It's all right, Shepard. Have to go. Wish I could have helped you. Others will have to do. Left notes. EDI can access."

Reaching up she peeled off her helmet, letting it drop. Her teeth were stained pink with blood, her face and hair grimy with sweat. Her eyes were reddened, lashes damp as she shook her head. "What if they get it wrong?"

"I am sorry."

The lift doors opened and he stepped within. Straightening, Shepard held out her hand. "No, Mordin…you'll die if you go up there!"

He only smiled at her. "Been an honor, Shepard. Need to leave now. Tower unstable. Do what you do best, Del."

"What I do best…?" She felt miserable, aching, thick and stupid. Breathing was an agonizing chore, and her entire body was shaking. Ashamed of what she'd nearly done, all she could think now was that she was losing yet _another_ friend.

"Fight the good fight."

Mordin smiled, his hand lifting in a salute as the lift closed and bore him swiftly out of sight. Shepard covered her face with a hand, nearly sagging down to her knees, before another warning tremble of the tower reminded her of her own precarious position.

Weaving weakly, she somehow made it out of the tower, the hot Tuchankan sun mixing with dust and smoke to sting at her sinuses as she emerged outside. Squinting through light startled eyes, she saw only vague forms heading toward her.

Someone caught hold of her. She thought she heard Wilcher's voice, then Wrex's. Someone cried out, not in pain or warning but in awe. Craning her head, Shepard felt heat spill down her cheeks as she tried to focus on the sky. All she could see were spreading clouds as the top third of the Shroud tower disintegrated in flame.

A moment later, she felt a soft cold brush against her cheek. Then another, and another. Lifting a shaking hand, she blinked as the pale feather of white landed on her dark glove, lingering only a moment before it melted and faded away.

It had begun to snow.


	42. Chapter 42

It was as a nightmare come to life.

The blaring call that sang from the Reaper seemed a beckon to death, one which the krogan answered enthusiastically. The gunships sailed in only to crash in ruin and wreckage all around her. The tomkahs were sliced in half, cast about like toys, and the ground beneath her feet grew muddy with the blood of the slain.

Eír was literally shackled away from her greatest strength, and while she had been designed to be a formidable warrior even without her biotics, she was unseasoned. She had seen some of death, some small amount of battle, but _nothing_ like this.

Krogan were strong, stalwart. They feared little. To see them incinerated to ash with hardly an effort ripped at something within her. The rifle she had was as much use against the Reaper as a spit wad would be against an armored and shielded centurion. Time and again she instinctively tried to use her biotics to help those dying around her only to watch the sweep of her energy vanishing away before it was truly born.

One of the final gunships crashed into the ground, spilling a fiery rush of fuel nearby. Eír blinked her tear-reddened eyes and grit her teeth tightly as she struggled to haul the limp Krag backward, ducking over him as a spray of rock and dirt flashed up from yet another explosion. A sweep of the Reaper's crimson lance, and half a dozen more men were swept away into oblivion.

She had just reached the half-shade of the outer wall when the call to drop back rang over every radio. Cradling Krag as if to shield him, she felt the deep rumbling protest of the earth.

She never looked at Kalros. At the beast's attacking bellow she clamped her hands tight over her ears, unable to hear even her own sobs in the endless noise. When all fell silent, when the cheering roar of the surviving krogan lifted up, Eír dropped her hands and looked around.

The arena was half gone, only a remarkably huge swath of churned up ruin marking the grave of the Reaper. Pillars and columns of smoke still plumed into the blue sky, a dozen different fires burning from a dozen different wrecks. That fast little fighter, the only thing left flying in the sky, zipped past overhead, cutting a swath through the smoke and drawing another ragged cheer from the krogan.

Looking down at Krag, Eír realized he was dead, and likely had been before she had even reached his side. Numbly, she pressed a hand to his forehead briefly, before she rose to her feet.

Through the haze she spotted Buhto, the old krogan a bit battered around the edges but roaring his victory out with the rest. She knew she needed to tell him his son was dead- possibly _both_ of them as she did not see Blik cheering with the rest of them- but the thought was idle and numb, and the words didn't reach her lips.

Then she realized they were pointing upward, and her gaze followed.

The tower at the end of the arena was on fire in a dozen different places, and she thought the spreading gray billows were just heavy smoke, until she realized there was far too much of it for the flames to account for.

_It's less like smoke, more like…clouds? Yes, they're clouds. How can this be?_

Her entire experience on Tuchanka, and she had never seen a true cloud in the heated sky-only dust clouds the color of rust, risen from stiff winds now and again. As these new clouds spread, the top third of the tower exploded, breaking apart in a rush of mortar and fire.

Then, snow began to fall, cool cutting through the normal oven of Tuchanka's heat, and the krogan began to shout again, guns firing in celebration toward the sky. Eír lifted her hands, the tiny flakes spilling over her gloves, clinging to her eyelashes. Different tears began to fall, and closing her eyes, she could see the face of Shrive, of Thug. She could imagine their voices amongst the din.

In moments the cheers changed. Less simple shouts and bellows now, the krogan were repeating a word, the chant picking up and growing louder as they thrust their rifles upward in time with its cadence. When she realized what they were shouting, Eír felt a coldness that had nothing to do with the snow.

"She_pard_! She_pard_! She_pard_!"

* * *

"Sit _down_," Wilcher said as he urged Shepard over to a sizable chunk of rock, crouching in front of her. The krogan shouting and cheering around the arena was simple wordless thundering noise, pounding in her head. Grimacing as she sat, she pressed one hand tighter to her side, the other trembling against her forehead as she hid behind the damp tangles of her hair, clenching her eyes shut.

"I'll get Vega to bring the shuttle down here and we'll get you back up to the _Normandy_-"

"I'm fine, Wilch."

"No offense, Del, but you look more than a bit torn around the edges, and-"

Her eyes lifted to his, silently spitting threats. He met them with a stone scowl of his own, unswayed. "You need _medical attention_."

"Can you just give me a _fucking_ second please? Just _one_ _fucking __**moment**_?"

Slapping his dusty palms on his thighs he straightened, stepping away a few paces with a frustrated huff. Del ignored him. She knew that she needed medical attention. The taste of blood and the urge to cough was only increasing, the knife of her broken rib a red-hot throb down her side, the hottest pain among a simmering cauldron throughout her body. It all seemed so secondary, however, in light of what ached her head.

Mordin was gone. He of the hyper speech, the patter songs, the research on the 'secondary sexual characteristics' of aliens. He had given his life to save the krogan, to right what he felt he had put wrong.

When she realized what the krogan were shouting, she grit her teeth bitterly, struggling against furious tears.

_It's __**his**__ name they should be shouting. __**He's**__ the one that got Eve away from Sur'Kesh. __**He's **__the one that developed the cure. __**He's**__ the one that died so that Tuchanka's people could thrive again. What did I do? Oh, that's right…I nearly __**killed **__**him**__ to put a stop to it all._

Swallowing back bitter bile as well as blood, Shepard didn't lift her head until she heard Vega's voice.

"No offense, Lola, but you don't look too hot."

"_Thank _you, Mr. Vega," she said, lifting her head a little and wiping her hand over her face. "Get the shuttle down here. Garrus and Javik need medical attention and Wilcher is looking a bit battered himself. We need to get back to the _Normandy_. Tell Chakwas to have her people standing by."

As he started away, Wrex appeared, striding happily toward her. Scorched and scuffed, the battlemaster was nevertheless grinning widely.

"Shepard! _Legends_ shall be written about today!"

She nodded faintly, getting to her feet. Her chest heaved with a cough, and grimacing, she spit a stream of crimson to the dirt. "Write them of Mordin, Wrex. Not me."

He clapped her arm, holding it firm a moment. "_You're_ the one that-"

"I didn't do _shit_, Wrex! Mordin _died_ up there to save your people!"

"He made the cure," Wrex said with a nod of agreement. "He saved Eve. He saved _all _of the krogan. His sacrifice was worthy of any ten warriors. I won't forget that, Shepard. None of us will. But _you _will be written of, too."

"Wrex-"

He grunted, lifting his arms. "Shepard, without you we wouldn't have gotten Eve off Tuchanka. Without _you_, the clans wouldn't be unified-"

"_You_ did that!"

"Without you, _I'd _still be a disillusioned merc," he said with a growl. "Mordin would still be running a clinic on Omega. No…that's not true. Without you, we'd all be _dead_, because the Reapers would have torn us apart three years ago when Saren opened the Citadel. You brokered this treaty, Shepard. You saved my people. You have been the greatest friend to the krogan…to _me_…and we will _never_ forget that, whether _you_ like it or not."

She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead a moment, clenching her teeth for a second before she looked at him. "Wrex, there's something you need to know, but before I tell you, I need an answer first."

"An answer to what?"

"If we succeed, if we defeat the Reapers and save our home worlds from destruction, do you plan to go to war with the salarians and the turians over the genophage?"

He looked thoughtful a moment. "Many krogan will want retribution for what they did. _Vengeance_ will be murmured throughout the clans, it's true- but that's not what the krogan need. We need to concentrate on our future, not on old grudges. Mordin's sacrifice here will make it easier, but no. War with the salarians and the turians is a step in the wrong direction, and I'll make them understand that if I have to batter it into each and every skull."

"No matter what?"

"What are you getting at, Del? What aren't you telling me?"

"Wrex, before we came down here, Dalatross Linron contacted me. She told me that when they built the Shroud tower, they built a failsafe mechanism into it just in case a cure for the genophage was ever developed. It would alter the temperature protocols and render the cure ineffective. She promised me the entirety of the salarian fleets and all of Sur'Kesh's support if I just made sure Mordin didn't correct it, made _sure_ the genophage didn't work."

His look turned dark, a low growl escaping his chest. She shook her head.

"Bitch was delusional, Wrex. I fucking laughed in her face."

"Of _course_ you did-"

He broke off as she looked toward him, one hand gesturing sharply before fisting almost in challenge. With her damp hair sticking to her cheeks, her blood-tinged lips and her reddened, infuriated eyes, she looked almost animalistic.

"_But I nearly fucking __**didn't**__, Wrex_! Not when talking to the Dalatross, but in _there_!" She snapped a finger toward the tower. "Mordin found the sabotage, wanted to fix it, and I nearly fucking _shot him_ to stop it! Because of this _bullshit_ in my skull, this bad fucking 'code' locked in my brain! _I nearly shot my friend_! Nearly sacrificed _your_ people, the _turians_, the negotiations and the treaties…! _All_ of it could have been flushed down the fucking _toilet_ on one bullet and _I nearly fucking __**did it**_!"

The shuttle had landed nearby, Vega and Eve emerging as Del's wounded crewmen were taken on board. Wrex stared at Shepard a moment, watching silently as the human woman straightened, wiping the back of her hand over her crimson spotted lips.

"I nearly _did it_, Wrex. _Mordin's_ the fucking hero here, not me."

Turning away she limped toward the shuttle. Home.

All she wanted to do was go _home_.

* * *

The rush of words around her as she wove through the crowd of krogan, through the graveyard of broken tomkahs, ruined gunships, shattered rock and churned earth, set Eír's head spinning.

Shepard was here. She was the 'captain' Goon had mentioned, the one he had thought was _her_ commanding officer.

Shepard, whose name still stirred an aching, bitter fury in her gut, a blind whisper of murder in her mind. The one who had killed Benezia. The one who had killed Shrive. The _reason_ that Thug had died. The entire _catalyst_ to her existence. _Here_. On Tuchanka. In this _**very arena**_.

Shepard was _**here**_.

And she had cured the genophage.

_This isn't you, love. This isn't your path. You do not need to walk this road. It is not of your choosing._

Shrive's words seemed to echo in the hollow spaces of her being even as she moved- weaving, stepping over, jostling, navigating. Her rifle dropped into her hand as if by thought alone.

_She saved the krogan, Eír. My family, your __**brother's**__ family. She is not how you think of her. This is Gellian's hatred. Let it go, Eír! Let it __**go**__, sweet thing!_

Her boots pressed into the thin coating of new-fallen snow on the warm dust, leaving ghosts of themselves behind. The air that moved into her lungs felt like the hollow cry of one dying, one desperate.

The human appeared before her, a dozen yards away. Shepard, hated, loathed, alive and in the flesh only a _dozen yards away_! She was turning away from a krogan, limping toward an open shuttle only a few yards behind her. Eír's very existance seemed to slow, time coalescing into thick mud.

Eír lifted the rifle.

Shepard, back to her, reached the edge of the shuttle ramp.

_Wounded. Already wounded, oblivious, __**easy**__ prey!_

_Eír, I love you._

The scope of the weapon gleamed slightly as it lifted to her eye.

_One shot. Just __**one **__shot._

_Do not do this. Do not become this._

Crosshairs trembled on the back of an unprotected skull as the human climbed the ramp.

A blue finger slipped over the trigger. The crosshairs steadied. The finger tensed.

_One shot_.

Shepard vanished into the shuttle, now obscured by the hull of the vehicle as she turned toward the cockpit. The crosshairs shuddered, then lowered as the rifle sagged, dropping to the ground. Eír fell down to her knees, bowing forward as she covered her face.

* * *

"Here, _careful._" Nan winced in sympathy as she helped Del unbuckle her chest plate and ease it off. Perched on the edge of a bio-bed, Shepard fought a grimace as the armor slipped free. Back on the _Normandy_, with the adrenaline and her suit painkillers wearing off, every damned part of her seemed to be on fire. As Nan winced again, Shepard realized at least part of the reason why.

Her arms, and the skin on her chest and neck left exposed by her tank-top, were all red and swollen. Her hard-suit was made to withstand quite a lot, but even _it_ could not block out all the heat she had taken on when she'd run right through those flames, especially not after being cracked and beaten around by various things much larger than she was. Still, the burns were not bad, no worse than a good sunburn.

Black and blue bruises ringed her right shoulder, smearing down like the tail of a comet toward her elbow. Nan set her armor aside and wiped a hand over her forehead before she urged Del to lay back.

"How's Li?" Del asked, licking more copper from her lips.

"Still sleeping," Nan said. "Just relax."

Chakwas was there a moment later, stepping past Nan to pass her scanner over Del. "Shoulder's just bruised, not too bad. First degree burns, easily rectified. Fairly obvious broken rib and a minor lung puncture. You were ambitious today, Captain."

"How's the rest of the team?"

"Garrus has a broken arm that's being tended to now, various bumps and scrapes. Javik has a nice gash or two. Wilcher, a few bruises and sprained fingers. Hardly worth cluttering up my infirmary."

As Shepard closed her eyes Helen's gaze went soft and sad, and she lightly touched her commanding officer's shoulder. "I'm so sorry about Mordin, Del. He will be badly missed."

"Yeah."

Her eyes opened again after a moment, and she turned her head, peering past the shifting bodies of the medical team tending to her crew, trying to catch sight of the asari. Helen prepared a sedative, not having to ask where Shepard's mind was.

"Her brain waves are much stronger. She should wake up nearly any time. From what I can tell, she should regain full muscle control- though I can't be a hundred percent certain until she's awake enough to respond."

"She's strong," Shepard said. "She'll beat this."

"Of course she will."

Nan brushed a hand over her hair again as Chakwas nodded. "All right, Captain. I'm going to have to put you under to fix that rib and your lung. We'll see you in a little while, all right?"

She injected the sedative, but Del's eyes didn't close, still seeking any sight of the unconscious Liara. Helen frowned, touching her fingers to the side of Shepard's neck a moment as she squinted up at her readouts. "Well, _that_ isn't good."

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked, looking up at her.

"That was enough anesthetic to knock a man Wilcher's size out for a good ten hours, and you didn't even bat an eyelash. Your resistance to sedation may have reached the breaking point. I'm going to try another half dose. Del, this will be enough anesthetic- along with what I've already given you- to _normally_ kill you about twice over. We'll be monitoring you closely but there _is_ a risk."

"I understand," Del replied. When Chakwas hesitated, Shepard lifted her brows. "Helen, I trust you."

Chakwas cleared her throat, and nodded. "I know you do. All right, here we go…_hopefully_ off to sleep."

She administered the second injection and after a moment, Shepard's eyes sagged shut, her body going limp. She regarded her readouts, then let out a sigh of relief. "Her vitals are good. All right, let's get this done as quickly as possible. There's no telling how long she'll stay under."

* * *

The soft laugh slipped free as Liara pressed her back to the wall, the smell of erahs blooms warmed by the golden afternoon sun sweeping in on the billowing curtains.

"You can't hide forever!" A voice called through the hallway beyond her, and she put a hand over her lips to stifle yet another laugh. Edging out a little, she risked a peek, just in time to see her pursuer vanish through a doorway.

Taking a chance, she padded on bare feet swiftly across the hall and into a small entry way. The door stood open, the smell of the rich ocean air mixed with the erahs spilling in on a tide of discarded blooms that drifted over her toes.

With a naughty little grin, Liara quickly trotted outside, gasping and ducking as she heard Del's voice call from just past a nearby window.

"Tianlán, I _will_ find you. And when I _do_, you're _in_ for it!"

Slipping carefully past the window, Liara rounded the corner of the garden, unable to help the laugh that escaped. As she fled across soft grass toward the grove, a set of arms suddenly whisked around her, lifting her off her feet. Letting out a cry of surprise, she pretended to struggle, only to be swept down to the ground, Del smiling triumphantly down at her as she pinned her wrists.

"_Ha_. I got you."

"Hmm," Liara smiled. "One would argue that you already _had_ me."

Del's grin softened as she released Liara's wrists, gently brushing her fingertips over the asari's freckled cheek. "True," she said, then ducked closer, lightly brushing the tip of her nose against Liara's. "_I love you."_

Liara reached up, fingers tangling in that silver lock of hair as she drew Shepard downward. "_I know_."

As their lips met, playfulness turned to a fearful desperation. Sunlight became dark, and Liara was no longer lying on the soft grass. She could smell blood and sweat, feel the weight of a hard-suit around her. There was pain and exhaustion, leaching out of her bones, weighing her down.

Someone had a hold of one of her arms, restraining her firmly, but the other was still tangled in Del's hair, their lips still pressing together. She tasted salt and blood…not the odd, sweet taste of asari blood, but the heavy metallic copper that humans shed.

The kiss broke breathlessly, and Liara felt the heat of tears, her breath a struggling gasp. "_Don't leave me_."

"I _love_ you, Liara," Del said, her own voice an urgent, ragged whisper. "_Never_ forget that."

"Shepard, _please…_"

Del released her, stepping back. She, too, was dressed in a hard-suit, her bare face battered and coated with sweat and grime, bruises and scrapes. Her eyes were hollows of fire and some deeper, more primeval expression…the look an animal got when it had been long trapped, and sensed the hunter's blade was about to descend.

Behind her there was the chaos of battle- a haze of smoke and the flashes of weapons fire, the cries of the fearful and dying, unearthly shrieks ululating like the siren calls of old Earth legend, beckoning sailors to their deaths.

"_Get her out of here_!" Shepard jabbed a finger toward whoever was restraining the asari, and despite a stabbing pain, Liara resisted, stretching her free hand out after Del.

"_Shepard!"_

Wind whipped her dark hair as Del's eyes met hers once more. "You mean _everything_ to me," she called out over the tumult.

Liara's fear was like a living thing, squeezing her heart, stealing her breath. Her hand still outstretched a sob threatened to strangle her, her voice barely a whisper.

_"I am yours..."_

Del turned, slamming her helmet on and snatching up her rifle from the beaten earth, running into the apocalypse raging behind her. Whoever held her tried to draw Liara back, and she resisted one last time, shouting out, _screaming_ to be heard over the noise, the raging wind, and the endlessly rising shrieks of pain.

"_**I am yours!"**_

* * *

The moaning whine was a rough and formless sound, blurring light and color smearing in front of her eyes. Sky blue shimmered with confusion as she blinked, disoriented, one hand questing over cold and smooth before being taken by a warm grip.

"Hey, _shh_…take it easy…"

A well-known voice fell over her like a blanket, the soft caress over her cheek speaking of safety and comfort. She tried to speak again, but something hard and metallic seemed to be blocking her mouth. Blinking rapidly she tried to focus, her shaking hand tightening against familiar fingers.

_Del._

She could not speak the word, perhaps, but she felt it pass out of her as more than a word, a pure emotional expression from deep within. The same, she felt it answered, felt soft autumn embrace her very essence with the scent of cigars and soap.

Her eyes finally focused as tears slipped down her temples, a face solidifying in her view. Bruised and tried, the captain's dark lashes were wet as well as she smiled, clinging to Liara's hand and gently stroking her cheek.

"_Hey, you_," Shepard whispered shakily. "Welcome back."


	43. Chapter 43

The door to the dimly lit Nest slid open almost soundlessly, allowing Shepard to step within, carrying Liara. The asari had her arms draped around Del's shoulders, her head tucked close, resting against the side of her neck. Carefully, Shepard took the few steps down into the living area, crossing over to the bed. As delicately as possible, she lay the asari on the blankets. Fussing a bit, she made sure Liara was comfortable, pausing only when a slightly shaking hand lifted and slipped over her cheek.

Reaching up, she grasped that hand tightly, shifting it to lay a kiss on the palm as tears welled in her eyes. Blinking against them self-consciously, she kissed Liara's fingers again.

"You need to rest."

Folding the hand softly over Liara's chest, she bent and kissed her cheek, only to feel the fingers slip out of hers, an arm draping over her shoulders, holding her close.

Chakwas had run all the tests she was able after Liara had finally woken. She had only removed the machines after she was completely positive Liara had full muscle control. That was four hours ago. Now, the asari was officially out of danger if still sore and weak, and Helen had allowed Del to take her up to the Nest for the last of her recuperation. She would have doubtlessly had a few things to say if she'd known Del had _physically_ carried her, in light of her own recent surgery on her chest and her overall battered state, but that was honestly the last thing on Shepard's mind.

Liara still had very little idea of what had happened, and Shepard was not entirely sure how much to tell her. All would come out eventually, of course, but later…_after_ she had regained her strength. Right now, all Liara knew was that she had become desperately sick and had been unconscious for a time, and that she was now out of the woods.

Shepard was not one to easily cry, and had been holding together admirably. As the light weight of the asari's arm draped over her shoulders, however, something beyond the scope of her strength seemed to give way. Burying her face in her love's neck she almost soundlessly began to sob, the white hot ache of everything crashing down and swelling in her chest.

"_Del."_

Liara's voice was little more than a weak whisper, her throat still raw from the machines and her own nonexistent strength. Sliding her arms around the asari, Shepard shifted until she was lying on the mattress as well, holding her close.

"I can't lose you, Liara. I'm not strong enough. I'm not _nearly_ strong enough."

Liara only stroked her hair a little, her shaky grasp clinging to her as much as she was able, before the demands of her body weighed her down. Slowly her grip loosened as she drifted into sleep. Del eventually moved a little, letting Liara's weight drape over her, still holding her with a defensive possession, a protectiveness…as if she could defy all disaster and death that might seek to take her away again.

The soft brushes of Liara's sleeping breath wafted over her neck. Del's dark eyes looked up at the stars outside the portal above. They still orbited Tuchanka, and the very edge of the world was visible to her as well. From here, the universe looked so serenely peaceful.

"Could one ship get lost out there, do you think?" Shepard's whispers were tiny and soft, and answered only by the steady rhythmic breaths on her skin.

"I'd take you away if I could, Tianlán. To some place sweet and green, with azure oceans and clear skies and white sandy beaches. We'd have all the daughters you want…_anything_ you wanted. I'd give you _everything_. Just don't leave me."

Her eyelids fluttered a little and sagged, her own exhaustion inescapable. She had no desire for sleep, no want for the nightmares to return, but there were some fights even Shepard could not win. After a few minutes of effort to remain open, her eyelashes finally met, her breathing deepening and steadying to match Liara's, her mind swept away into rest.

An hour later they shot open again, a faint, rough gasp escaping her. Already the dream was shattering away into forgetfulness, but her heart sped in the wake of it, the greasy and bitter roil of fear turning slowly in her gut.

Her waking had not disturbed the asari. Moving very carefully, she reluctantly extracted herself and settled the blankets back over Liara, fingers lingering on her cheek and crest a moment before she crossed the room.

The rest of the night was spent half looking over reports and pacing with a tense, frenetic energy. Cigar after cigar burned to ash between her lips. She turned on soft music only to switch it off again. She would sit and watch Liara sleeping, slow thoughts moving behind her dark eyes, before she would be up once more, and back to pacing.

At around four am ship time she departed from the bedside just far enough to indulge in a cold shower, the icy water slapping some wakefulness back into her. Drying and dressing she returned to the living area and tried to read again, before abandoning her data pad for her guitar.

The same song that had begun turning in her head back on Earth was still unfinished. She had written the first few stanzas but the main chorus and the conclusion of the song were still not complete. Balancing the guitar on her lap she very lightly began to touch the strings, only making the softest sound for each note as she hummed faintly along.

As it always had before, the music had an oddly calming effect on her. Peace seemed to flood her body, loosening tight muscles, slowing her heartbeat, sweeping all thought of stress and fear and anger and pain from her mind. After a little while, she forgot herself and started playing at normal volume, each pluck and vibration of each string a tiny dose of healing and comfort that she desperately needed.

She had finally worked out the chorus when she paused, stretching her fingers a little. She happened to glance up, only to see a pair of sky blue eyes watching her. Memory and reality came back with a jolt and she quickly set the guitar aside, rising and moving over to the bed.

"Tianlán, _hey_," she said softly, easing into a sit on the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. How are you feeling?"

Lifting her hand, Liara cupped her face and then urged her downward, sitting up a little. She kissed her softly, then parted only far enough to smile against her lips.

"You are so beautiful when you play."

"I was just…passing the time. Trying to finish that song. You still sound a bit rough, let me get you some water."

She moved slightly and Liara's fingers tightened in the fringe of her hair. The grip wasn't painful, just a gentle halting of the motion. "In a moment."

She kissed her again, a tender seeking that set Del's chest aching once more. Drawing her arms around the asari she hugged her tightly, breaking the kiss to bury her face against her a moment, before pressing her lips to her neck, then cheek.

"Water," she said with a soft smile, drawing back. This time Liara let her go, resting back against the pillows as Del trotted into the bathroom.

She returned with a glass and helped Liara to sip it. As she set it aside, she noticed the time with a blink. Two hours had passed while she'd been working on the song; it had felt like only a few minutes.

As she looked back at Liara, her love's blue gaze sought over her face. "What happened, Del?"

"When you're stronger. You still need to-"

"Del." The gentle admonishment made the human woman sigh, hanging her head a little.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember falling asleep with you, and then nothing until waking in the infirmary."

Wiping two fingers over her lips a moment, Del's dark eyes sought around the room as if the answers were all written on the walls, before she threaded her fingers in Liara's and met her eyes again.

She told her everything. Allers, and how she had tried to kill her. The interrogation, what they had learned thanks to Javik. When she reached the part where she had shot Allers her voice broke a little, but she kept on without pause.

She told her then about Tuchanka, and curing the genophage. As she spoke on this, Liara shifted a bit until she was sitting up. She did not halt Del from speaking, merely rested her hands on her shoulders, touching her forehead to her love's as if to reaffirm that she was _there_, that Shepard was not alone.

Alone with the one person with whom she could even begin to allow herself to be vulnerable, Del broke down again when she explained what had happened with Mordin. Liara wept as well, feeling grief at the loss of the salarian and sympathy to what Shepard was suffering.

When all words had been spent, Liara just embraced her. Nothing else needed to be said, each finding comfort merely in the fact that they were together, that they had survived yet another challenge tossed into their path by the chaotic winds of fate and that they could survive yet more, provided they had each other.

* * *

Shepard eventually had to attend to duty, reluctantly leaving Liara in the Nest to finish resting. She dealt with half a dozen fires before bringing a breakfast tray up to the asari, only to be called down to the QEC moments after delivering it.

Having gotten only an hour's worth of sleep the night before, and still recovering from her own injuries, Shepard was relying on a steady infusion of coffee to maintain wakefulness. It was Wrex calling the QEC, and for nearly an hour they discussed the next steps for Tuchanka. He had called a meeting of the clans that was going to gather within the next day or two, summoning not only those krogan still on Tuchanka but those scattered throughout galactic space. Word was spreading that the genophage was cured, and even without the summons krogan were beginning the pilgrimage back to the home world to partake of it themselves.

There had been no official announcements, but the newsfeeds were nevertheless starting to buzz about it, conjecture and speculation pouring forth from every news network still on the air. What did this mean for the krogan? What were the long-term effects going to be? How was the salarian government responding? How was the Council addressing this? Was Captain Shepard truly involved, and to what gain? Shepard had the news feeds scrolling on a nearby monitor, sound turned off, keeping half an eye on developments as she spoke with Wrex.

Halfway through their conversation, EDI entered the QEC and added yet another layer of complexity onto their plans. Wrex fully intended to keep his promise now to send krogan to help Palaven and Earth, but EDI pointed out that they would have to arrange transport, alternative food sources, and sedatives enough for a swiftly growing army of soldiers sent from Tuchanka. By the time she stepped out and back into the war room, Shepard's head was pounding and her already legendary temper was growing shorter.

Rubbing idly at the biting ache in her side left from the surgery, she automatically glared at the form that suddenly stepped in her path, her tone impatient as she snapped before realizing who it was.

"_What_? What is it? Oh. Primarch Victus. I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you."

"It's quite all right, Captain, but I need to speak with you most urgently."

"Wrex is keeping his end of the bargain. Within a few days we should have krogan feet on Palaven," she said as she stepped past him, accessing the central console. "We were just working out transport and feeding logistics-"

"It's not about that, Captain," he said. "I'm afraid I desperately need your help on a different matter."

She looked away from the display and regarded the turian man. "Oh?"

He stepped a bit closer, lowering his voice grimly. "A turian squad has run into some trouble and crash-landed on Tuchanka," he said. "I don't have much in the way of specifics but there _are_ survivors. I need them extricated and their mission completed."

Shepard folded her arms. A turian mission on Tuchanka stank just enough that her gut started warning her. "What exactly _was_ their mission, Primarch?"

"I'm…afraid that's _classified_."

Her look turned black. "Classified my _ass_. Listen, if you want my help-"

"I really cannot tell you any more than what I have, Captain. I am sorry. You must understand, however…if this mission fails it _will_ mean war with the krogan."

"Well that's just _fantastic_. Primarch, I don't like going in blind, especially not when I've already lost one friend to save _your_ world!"

"And by extension, _your_ world. Captain if it were up to me, I'd tell you everything I know. My hands are tied in this. Just trust me when I say that this mission is absolutely vital and its failure _will_ destroy everything we've accomplished so far. It cannot fail."

The muscles in her jaw rippled tightly. "Give me the last known coordinates for your squad. We'll head down as soon as we can get suited up."

He let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Captain. I will not forget this."

"When I see the turian fleets with ours around Earth, then I'll know that's true," she said, before she turned on her heel and strode for the door. "Vega! Wilcher! Get suited up and ready for heat! EDI, you too. I want you locked and loaded and down in the cargo bay in ten minutes. Cortez, heat up the shuttle. You'll have some coordinates incoming."

* * *

As Shepard finished securing her hard-suit and picked up her weapons pack, she vaguely heard the lift slip open, the sound almost lost among the bustle in the cargo bay. Fastening the pack on and checking that her katanas were secure as well, Shepard looked over at the idling shuttle as she strapped her pistols to her hips.

"Cortez! Reapers are still active down there and it may be hot in lower atmo. Make sure our barriers are at a hundred percent!"

"Aye, ma'am!"

Finishing with the last buckle she glanced around only to see Liara crossing the cargo bay floor. The asari was dressed but moving gingerly. Immediately striding toward her, Shepard's brows knit in concern.

"Tianlán, you shouldn't be down here. You're still pale, you need rest."

She lightly caught hold of the asari's arms, Liara taking hold of hers as well, steadying herself. "I am all right," she said, trying to reassure the marine, though her fatigue was still clear in her voice. "What is going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure. There's some kerfuffle I need to take care of, help some turians."

"You are still healing as well."

"Tell the _war_ that," Shepard said, then shook her head. "I'll be fine, Liara. I'll be back before you know it. Please, go upstairs and rest. I'll see you soon, ok?"

Liara's sky blue gaze was troubled, but she did not argue, knowing full well that ultimately, it would be futile. Reaching up instead, she tangled her fingers in Del's hair, drawing her in and kissing her briefly. For a moment the two women simply stood there in their simple, familiar communion; eyes closed, foreheads resting together, unspoken words moving between them.

Then Shepard stepped back, gesturing at one of the nearby privates lingering by the armory area. "Make sure she gets back upstairs safely."

He nodded, stepping forward as Del turned away, picking up her helmet and heading to the shuttle.

* * *

The shuttle rattled and shook with the hard winds that were tearing over the Tuchankan desert. Shepard stood behind the pilot's chair, bracing her hand on the small partition and looking outward at the blasting clouds of sand whipping against their barriers. Cortez, ignoring the blinded and useless windscreen, was navigating with his instruments and infrared scans.

"It's no good, Captain," he said, pointing at his monitor. "Between this storm and hostile signatures, I can't get in close to the coordinates we were given. Best I can do is put down here, in the shade of these ruins, half a mile east of them."

Shepard scrutinized the monitor, grimly noting the number of Reaper signatures around the LZ. Not ships, thank God, but definitely husks and other ground forces. Larger ones suggested those damn dragon-things, which would tear a less maneuverable shuttle apart like paper.

_They won't be any more fun to face on foot. And ruins again…I haven't gotten over the __**last**__ goddamn set of Tuchankan ruins I had to run through_. _Damn Victus. He had better be right. This had better be an __**extremely**__ goddamn vital mission. _

"All right, put us down there. We'll hoof it the rest of the way. Once we're down retreat to a safe distance at the edge of the storm."

"You got it, Cap. Hey, Shepard!" He reached out and caught her arm as she turned to step in the back, halting her. "You be careful down there, all right?"

She nodded. "We'll be as careful as we can be, Steve. Just keep your pattern and your ear to that comm."

She clapped him on the shoulder, then ducked into the back where Wilcher, EDI, and Vega were waiting. Compared to the two men, Shepard was deceptively small, nearly a foot shorter than either of them and a quarter as wide. Pound for pound, though, she was easily as hard a hitter as either of them, if not more so. EDI as well was small and slight, but Shepard knew from experience just how much of a beating that chassis could take…and _give_.

"We're putting down in a shady spot about half a mile from our objective," she told them. "Situation is hostile; we have a lot of Reaper signatures all over the area. Eyes peeled and stay tight."

"Haven't we got any idea of what we're doing here?" Vega asked. Shepard shook her head, thin-lipped.

"All we know is that there's a downed turian ship and a squad of soldiers stranded out there. We locate any survivors and render whatever aid necessary to help them finish their mission…whatever the fuck _that_ is. We have to respect turian classification protocols, guys, like it or not…so from the moment we hit dirt until we're back on the _Normandy_, whatever we see, hear, or discover…it's _all classified_, dong ma? As strict as if it came from our own Alliance."

The shuttle lowered and settled to a landing, Cortez looking into the back. "We're down, Captain. Good luck!"

"All right, here we go."

Del hit the door release and the moment it began to lift, the angry howl of the wind clawed into the space like a vicious ghost seeking vengeance. Sand hissed over their boots and then their pads, finally singing against their face plates as the door crested. The moment they had room, the four of them moved off the vehicle and into the storm, the billowing rust-colored tides swallowing them up in the space of only a few steps, erasing even the hint that they were ever there.


	44. Chapter 44

Liara had returned upstairs, but not to the Nest as Shepard had no doubt expected. Instead she had gone back to her own rooms, Glyph cheerfully greeting her as she stepped within.

She murmured a soft thank you to the private that had escorted her. As the door closed her head hung wearily. Her muscles still ached, and she felt she had aged to a matriarch overnight.

She had lied- somewhat- to Shepard earlier, when she'd said she remembered nothing until waking in the infirmary. It was true to the extent that she recalled nothing that had happened to her- not Allers' injection, not Del carrying her to the infirmary, not being treated. The dream that she'd had just before waking, on the other hand, was still clear in her mind, and no less troubling for it.

It had been her home on Thessia, where the dream had begun. It had not registered at the time but she recognized it now. The garden, ringed by the grove of erahs blossoms, was unmistakable. Shepard, of course, had never been to Thessia, but this was not the first nightmare of this type Liara had endured.

She still remembered the first one she had while on Hagalaz, the dream of climbing the hills with Shepard and showing her the beautiful T'Soni complex down in the valley. The serenity of that dream had been shattered by the arrival of a Reaper, by Shepard's frantic attempt to protect Liara, get her to flee. In the end, Liara had watched as Shepard was consumed by the Reaper's deadly beam.

Now this. Once again, starting in happiness at her childhood home, reveling in the peace and beauty around them and in their love for each other. Then it had changed. Just as abruptly, just as jarring, they were torn apart. Shepard had not died in this particular dream, but the feeling was the same- the knowing that Liara would never see her again, of being held back while Del ran toward a fate that would consume her very life.

Despite their empathic nature and their ability to connect with others, asari were not metaphysical in the sense they believed the future could be foreseen. While it was true they could gain a powerful emotional and even telepathic connection with those they Joined with frequently, it was never precognitive in nature- always real time or experiences of past events. At one time, a few asari did claim to get glimpses of future happenings but they were always extremely unclear, and never truly revealed themselves as accurate through the passage of time. Most were proven to be outright hoaxes, and in this day and age were as laughed at as any other species would be in their attempts to predict future events through other means; such as cards, the scattering of random objects, or examinations of entrails.

Liara, herself, did not believe in such abilities. She most certainly did not believe that she _herself_ possessed them. The dreams were born out of her own fear, her own knowledge of the war and Shepard's nature…that the captain would always seek to protect others while running into the fire herself. Shepard herself was suffering continual nightmares, so perhaps Liara's were only a psychic eddy, a subconscious reflection of the turmoil she was picking up from her chosen mate, reinforced by their own emphatic connection.

Yet that did not settle them any more comfortably in her mind.

Moving over to her bedside, Liara sat down wearily. "Glyph, what is our security status?"

"Broker network is still insecure," it said. "There have been no further attempts to infiltrate the network, and EDI's advance design security protocols are nearly complete. We should be able to reaccess the network within the next thirty hours without recurrence of infiltration."

Liara didn't know how confident she was in that. EDI's new security protocols would no doubt be cutting edge, but the Broker network had not exactly been running on old, unsecure software. No hacker, organic or synthetic, should have been able to infiltrate her systems with such swift ease. A dozen alarms should have gone off if even the right transfer protocols had been located, and a thousand firewalls and other measures should have done their work before any hacker even knew what quadrant of the galaxy the protocols originated from.

Without her Broker network, her contributions to Shepard's mission and the war effort would be all but eliminated. She had Feron doing as much as he could but he was limited as well. She could still fight at Shepard's side- once she was fully recovered, of course- but the entire reason she'd become the Shadow Broker in the first place was to help Del in ways that simply another gun could not. Unable now to do that, she could feel shackles of helplessness closing around her.

Then Glyph spoke up again. "Agent Feron is forwarding a secure contact to the Normandy QEC. It is flagged as a priority communication."

"Who is the contact?"

"Decrypting now. Contact is Miranda Lawson."

Liara got to her feet, ignoring the weary protesting of her body. "Can you forward the QEC communication protocol to the private pad in here?"

"Requesting it of EDI…access granted. Forwarding QEC communication."

The pad lit up, a form appearing over it. Liara had not seen Miranda since she had parted ways with the _Normandy_, after the attack on the Collector base. She had left Cerberus on rather unpleasant terms, and as a result had gone into hiding. Very _efficient_ hiding, at that; only traces of her had come over the Broker network, and nothing that would lead to a solid location.

Both Liara and Del considered the woman a good friend, and seeing her face again was a relief, as well as worrisome. Whatever had driven her to break her silence was doubtlessly incredibly important.

"Miranda, it is good to see you again," she said.

"Same here, Li. Unfortunately this isn't a courtesy call."

"So I supposed. What can I do for you?"

"As you know I left Cerberus, broke most of my ties. Most, but not quite all. I still have a few friends, ones that I trust…to an extent. Much of my concern has been surrounding Oriana but I have come upon some troubling intelligence in the process. At first it was only hints, whisperings, but now there's too much of it to ignore."

"I am willing to hear anything you have to say, Miranda, but we have learned some troubling things about Cerberus."

"I know what you're going to say, but not everyone in Cerberus is indoctrinated, or allowing themselves to be subjected to the Illusive Man's perverse alterations. Believe it or not, quite a few want nothing more than to get out, which I know from experience is not exactly easy."

"I _do_ believe it," Liara said. "Jacob Taylor and quite a few scientists managed to depart the organization…with Del's help."

"Yes, I heard some of that. I'm glad he's safe."

"There are precious few places that are safe anywhere in this galaxy these days," Liara said, gently lowering into a sit on the bedside. "What is it that you have learned?"

"I'd much rather tell you in person. I'm in a small shuttle, nearing Tuchankan orbit now. Initially my contact request was for Shepard, but I was told she was unavailable."

"She is on a mission," Liara said. "I will alert the CIC immediately to clear your shuttle and allow it on board. A security team will have to clear and escort you, you understand."

"Of course, I would expect no less. I will see you soon, Liara."

The image faded and immediately Liara rose again, accessing the comm. "Joker, there is a small shuttle that should appear on your scanners soon, if it has not already. Miranda Lawson is aboard. Please clear it to dock."

_{Lawson huh? Didn't think she'd ever want to set foot back on this ship.}_

"It is Alliance now. Please have Mr. Haley and his security team meet us down in the cargo hold once she's secured. They are to follow whatever protocols they feel are necessary, but make sure he is aware that this is a friend of Captain Shepard's."

_{Will do. Shuttle just appeared around the dark side of the planet. I'll run the scans and get her docked.}_

"Thank you Joker."

_{Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head. Oh, and Li? Good to have you back on your feet.}_

* * *

Miranda was out of the shuttle and surrounded by Haley's security as Liara emerged from the lift. Doing her best to hide how weak and sore she still was, she strode over, nodding to Haley.

"Are we clear?"

"Found a couple small side arms," Haley told her. "Provisions, a few data pads, nothing to get worked up over. However I would like an escort to stay with her until the captain is back on board, just to be sure."

"As you wish, however the escort will have to remain outside of the room while Miranda and I speak."

"No offense, ma'am, but I'm not sure how safe that is."

"Sergeant, not only do I know how to handle myself, but Miranda is a very good friend-"

"She is on Alliance records as a Cerberus operative."

"Those records are _inaccurate_," Miranda said, an irritated pinch to her brows.

"Their inaccuracies are not for me to decide on," Haley replied. "Without the captain clearing-"

Liara scowled as she interrupted. "Without Miranda, we would not even _have_ the captain. The guard may remain _outside_ of the room while we speak privately."

Haley nodded once, sharply, but clearly was not pleased. While Liara was not Alliance and had no real rank, he knew that were he to push the matter Shepard's wrath would come down quite swiftly in response. However he _also_ knew that were harm to come to Liara under his watch, it would be even worse."Very well, but the door will remain open."

"Perhaps you do not understand the nature of a _private_ conversation," Liara said.

"No, what I understand is the pain and suffering that will come down upon _my_ head should any harm come to _you_ again, Dr. T'Soni. The security of this ship and this crew is my duty, and that includes you. You will either allow an escort to remain in the room with you, or the door will remain open. If you'd like a _third_ option, we can place her in the brig under guard until the captain returns to say otherwise. The choice is yours."

Liara stiffened, eyes sharp. "Very well. You may ask Garrus to meet us in my quarters. Your man can escort us up, and Garrus will remain in the room with us as an extra precaution. With the door _shut_."

Haley's jaw rippled, but he nodded. "As you wish, Dr. T'Soni. I'll bring you up myself." His eyes moved to Miranda and he inclined his head forward half an inch, extending one hand toward the lift. "Please, ladies. After you."

* * *

Garrus was waiting for them when they reached the door, his broken arm still in its hard plastic cast. He nodded, mandibles flapping a little as he looked at Miranda. "Nice to see you again, Lawson. Looks like life on the run's been kind to you."

"Good to know you made it off Palaven, Garrus," she replied, then gestured to his arm. "I see life with Shepard is still entertaining."

"_Endlessly._"

They stepped into the room, Haley giving a stiff nod before Liara closed the door. Miranda shook her head.

"Alliance soldier, through and through."

"He's a good man, just a bit…rigid," Liara replied. "I trust what you have to tell me can be said in front of Garrus?"

"Of course."

Liara moved over and sat down again, her legs shaking. She really was doing too much, and she knew Del would have something to say about her stubbornness if she found out-only the purest irony when one considered Shepard was the purest embodiment of _stubborn_.

Garrus was correct; all things considering, Miranda did look well enough, though the troubled set to her face spoke of the weight of what she needed to impart.

"Some of this I discovered through my contacts," she told them as Liara settled. "Some of this comes from my time with Cerberus. Small clues here and there, hints, suspicions…never anything concrete. Never anything I dared ask about. Some…comes from my own past."

Liara did not suspect this mention of her 'past' had anything to do with Cerberus, and her own not-unimpressive intuition lead her to ask. "Does this have something to do with Inna Neirby?"

Miranda did not often look utterly shocked, but that was what came over her face now. She straightened, dropping her arms as she stared at the asari.

"Where did you hear that name? Your network?"

"Yes," Liara said. "I was looking into information on Hadar Wyatt and I discovered his real name. Percival Firth, half-brother to-"

"Gellian Osco," Miranda said with a furious scowl. "So it _was_ her…"

"_What_ was her?" Garrus asked.

"I've been watching my sister Oriana quite closely, and there are signs my father may be planning to make another move on her. He has his own networks and encrypted accounts, and with some help I managed to infiltrate it for a very short time. Among the intel we were able to gather were the records of my own genetic alterations. Some of the work stank of Osco, but I had no proof my father even _knew_ her. I know Firth's name. He flirted with joining Cerberus before he chose Terra Firma instead."

"I do not think there was any '_instead_', but rather '_as well'_," Liara said. "I found a photograph in my research. Your father with what I presumed was you as a newborn. With him, a much younger Percival Firth and Gellian Osco, and a third girl that identified as Inna Neirby."

"Do you have this photo? May I see it?"

"I am afraid it was lost. In the middle of my research, an outside party somehow managed to infiltrate the Broker network and nearly managed to do the same to EDI. This hacker removed all information regarding Neirby and Wyatt with the precision of a surgeon."

Miranda groaned, covering her face a moment. "This is part of what I wanted to warn you about. If it's gotten this far…"

"You know about the hacker? Are they Cerberus?"

"Probably…" Miranda sighed. "The last few days this 'hacker' has wiped out nearly everything I had gathered. The intel I pulled from my father's networks, some of my saved resources on my own personal system…they even removed galaxy-wide extranet information quickly and thoroughly. I had hoped to warn you before they sniffed out the Broker network but it seems I'm too late."

"I was not aware that Cerberus had anyone of that scope of talent."

"Neither was I. I don't think it's a single individual. Probably not even an organic, but a slew of high end VI or even AI infiltration programs. At any rate, I remember Neirby. She was there when I was very small. I have vague recollections of her, but she was gone when I turned about five or six years old. Father never told me where she'd gone. After a while I suppose I stopped asking. I've only recently heard her name again."

"She's involved with Cerberus?"

"Most definitely," Miranda said. "Though I'm not sure in what capacity exactly. I only know she's involved in Shiva."

"What's Shiva?" Garrus asked, folding his arms.

"What I came to tell you about. Look, Cerberus has always been made up of independent projects, cells. The team that revived Shepard was Lazarus Cell, the one Dr. Archer was working on was Overlord Cell…no one in the organization knows how _many_, except the Illusive Man. No cell, in general, was aware of what any other cell was working on, where they were located, who was involved, none of it. There were always whispers, _rumors_, that what we were working on were just different parts of a _single_ gigantic project. I always dismissed this, believing our one goal was simply the advancement of humanity. I was wrong. There _is_ a massive project in the works, an _ultimate_ project, and all the other projects have simply been working on different aspects of it. It's called Project Shiva."

"I know that name," Liara said, her brows knitting, before she rose, going to her desk and picking up a data pad, calling up her private books. "When Shepard got her tattoo, she explained to me what the phoenix meant, and that lead to a discussion on Earth religions and mythology. I purchased some books- yes. Yes, here. This is the one. Shiva is an old Earth deity, a god with five works: creation, preservation, destruction, concealment and revelation."

"It's the 'destruction and concealment' aspects that concern me," Miranda replied. "Everything Cerberus has ever worked on pours into _this_ single endeavor. The experiments at the Teltin facility to create a super-biotic; attempts to merge a human consciousness with an AI like we saw in Overlord; biological experiments with rachni, with husks, with krogan; and that's just the _tip_ of the iceberg. Hell, even Lazarus was unknowingly feeding into Shiva. Tissue regrowth protocols; radical new neural enhancements to remap damaged brain pathways; inclusive nucleic nanite technology- _everything_ we learned rebuilding Shepard has gone into Project Shiva."

Liara felt cold, her mind going over everything she'd discovered about Cerberus over the years, both in person and through her brokering. The amount of biologic, genetic, biotic, and technological information they had was _astronomical_. That there was a single purpose to it, a common end- _other_ than the insisted upon 'advancement of humanity'- well. It was more than a _little_ alarming.

"You said that you were certain Neirby was involved?" Liara asked. "You said she was there when you were a child?"

"Yeah, she was around. She was Jason Neirby's daughter- he was my father's financial advisor and drinking buddy when I was young. He lived on father's estate…a _lot_ of his upper employees did, until Father got paranoid and threw them all out."

"So he threw this _Jason_ out as well?"

"Oh, no. He was the _cause_ of the paranoia. He died somehow. Stroke, I think. In the house. In father's _study_, actually, having imbibed in some of his more rare and exquisite brandy. Father was certain someone was trying to poison him, got rid of nearly everyone."

"Was that when Inna left?"

"I'm not sure, I don't think so but…it's all so long ago. If it wasn't then, it was soon after. Clearly she ended up in Cerberus which I can't help but feel was my father's influence. He must be how Osco ended up there as well."

Studying Miranda's face, Liara realized something. "You did not know Inna was adopted, did you?"

Miranda lifted a brow, then shrugged. "No, I didn't know that. Is it important?"

"Part of the information I discovered before it was all wiped out," Liara said carefully. "Inna was abandoned shortly after birth at a hospital- doubtlessly from there she made her way into child care and was then adopted by Mr. Neirby. The woman who abandoned her…her name was Jaia Torrfield."

Miranda blinked in confusion a moment, before her eyes shot wide. "_Torrfield_? You mean she's-"

She broke off, covering her mouth a moment. Liara nodded.

"Yes. It is as it seems."

Garrus, confused, glanced between the two women. "What am I missing?"

"_Shepard_, Garrus," Miranda said, agitated as she straightened and started to pace. "Her _birth mother_ was Jaia Torrfield."

He gaped. "Uh, that's a _hell_ of a coincidence."

"That's just it, I'm not convinced it _is_ coincidence," Miranda said, scowling. "After the Citadel the Illusive Man was adamant we didn't lose Shepard…_so adamant_ that when she died he devoted unbelievable technology and resources to bring her back, technology that later went into Shiva."

Garrus and Liara both exchanged confused looks, the turian shrugging. "I thought that was because she was a symbol, an icon that the human race could get behind. That, and he knew what she could _do_."

"That was what he _said_, and it was probably mostly true," Miranda replied. "But what if that wasn't _all _of it? I mean, trillions of credits went into rebuilding Del alone. With trillions of credits, he could have built entire fleets of warships, hired his own army of a size to rival the Alliance, and confronted the Collectors on a scale that even _they_ would never stand against. He justified it because Shepard was famous, a rallying point, the first human Spectre and a hero to the other species as well- but is that justification really _worth_ all that money on one woman and one ship?"

Liara's eyes shifted as she thought it through. "I think you are right," she said after a moment. "I think he truly _did_ want Shepard for her skills and her unique position but yes…there must be more to it. Shepard's genetic code was a matter of record with the Alliance, records he could have had access too. Even if not, the amount of genetic scrutiny she went under for Lazarus would have been conclusive; he had to _know_ that Del and Inna were related. I mean, a woman under his own employ, working on what you describe as the ultimate project that all his resources were bent on- to be _trusted_ with such a project would mean extensive vetting, information gathering…he probably knows more about his key figures surrounding Shiva than they _themselves_ do."

"But to what end? So they're related…why would he care?" Garrus asked.

"There's a reason for it, I know there is," Miranda said. "I can _feel_ it. We learned Del's genetic code inside and out on Lazarus. Her behavior patterns, the way her brain was wired…she was under constant surveillance by Cerberus even _after_ she was revived. All throughout the Collector Mission almost every _aspect_ of her was recorded and preserved."

"Not just monitoring, but _scientific observation_…the way one would observe a lab animal in an experiment," Liara said, hugging herself. "He wanted her mind completely her own, remember? No alterations. _Exactly_ the woman she was. He wanted as little contamination in his observances as possible."

Garrus was agitated now as well. "Can we dumb it down for the turians in the room? I'm _still_ not following. Why would Cerberus care about Shepard's _behavior_ patterns, enough to record them extensively over several months?"

Miranda looked at him. "Ok, Garrus, let me put it to you this way. Say you're developing…a vaccine. Let's say, an _extremely _important political figure has gotten this fatal disease and it's up to you to cure it. You have a vaccine but it hasn't been tested. You don't know if it will cure or _kill _your patient. What do you do?"

He paused a moment. "I suppose I would test it?"

"Right, exactly. But on what? Can't test it on an animal, they might react differently, even if they _are_ fairly close on the biologic family tree. You can't take that risk. This isn't an ordinary patient. _This_ person's death would start a war or collapse an economy. You have to be as utterly sure as you can."

"Cloned tissue then?"

"For our argument, you don't have the means to clone tissue. This patient, however, has a brother- a criminal about to be executed for some crime or another; a degenerate who _also_ has the same disease."

He nodded. "I'd use the brother then. You'd have to test it on his closest genetic match, his nearest relative. The brother being a criminal facilitates matters. His death is already a given, but his brother living could prevent some disaster."

"Exactly right."

"So this Inna is an 'extremely important figure' and Del's her 'worthless criminal brother'?"

"From the Illusive Man's point of view, _perhaps_."

"That still doesn't make any sense then. The Illusive Man has thousands, if not _millions_ of people in his employ. If this 'Shiva' project is as lengthy and vast as you say, it alone probably has _hundreds_ directly involved in it. Wouldn't Inna be just another employee?"

Liara's eyes were distant and aqueous as she looked at her friend. "No. All Cerberus projects, according to Miranda's findings, were filtered into Shiva. All the technology from Lazarus; the nanites, the synaptic restructuring, the radical new cellular regeneration techniques…all would then have _also_ been filtered into Shiva, and would have been tested exclusively on Del's genetic material. Her behavior patterns, her observed responses, even her chemical behavioral reactions…all filtered into Shiva."

"Her _chemical_ reactions?"

"Yes. EDI told Del that she could sense the slightest change in a person's pheromone levels through her toxic filtration techniques, designed to keep the atmosphere in the _Normandy_ to safe quality. Every time Del got angry, sad, confused, happy, or had any kind of chemically quantifiable emotional response, those minute changes were sampled by the filtration systems-…and doubtlessly reported to Cerberus as well. As you said, you do not go to that level of experimentation for a _replaceable employee_."

"So what are we saying then?"

Liara looked at Miranda, unaware she was shaking. From the pale look on the human woman's face, she knew her own conclusions had been echoed. Miranda swallowed faintly, then covered her face again. Liara lowered her head.

"It may not be that Inna is one of the key personnel on this 'Project Shiva'," she heard herself say. "It may very well be that Inna _is_ Project Shiva- or a very large part of it. Without knowing what the Project actually encompasses…we cannot know for certain."

"It gets worse," Miranda said after a moment, her voice thick as she lowered her hand.

"Of course it does," Garrus noted. "How _much_ worse?"

"From what I've been able to find, Shiva is in its final testing phase. It may very well already be _complete_."


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: So, apparently, when I don't actually _read_ over my chapter and instead only skim part of it and then say, 'meh, it'll be fine', I make a few boo-boos in my own continuity. In this case, I had previously established that, due to the cinch, Eír could not be affected by biotics the same as she couldn't use them. Then, like a dumb ass, I went and wrote that scene with Eír and Misira where Eír is affected by biotics.

**facepalm**

I have now edited that scene, and will do my proper rereads. :)

YYY

At first, Eír was afraid to step off of the shuttle, peering around its open port as a child might, one who expected a scolding. Before her was Dundrin Buhto's home, exactly as she remembered it. From here she couldn't see the athenaeum, but she could smell it; a faint waft of ivy flowers and cool water that brought an ache to her chest.

Buhto had just disembarked the shuttle himself, and was striding slowly toward the entrance of the house. Several battered krogan were with him, and one very old krogan was waiting for him flanked by three asari and a turian.

The old krogan was the true head of the clan; Dundrin Frek, Buhto's father. The turian and one of the asari Eír did not know, but she knew the other two. Dr. Linai who had tried to save Gellian's life…and Misira Seko, Matriarch and Shrive's mother.

_It was a mistake, coming back here_, Eír thought sadly as she watched. Misira had not approved of her youngest daughter running away with Eír to pursue a pureblood relationship, and Eír had no doubt she would hold her in blame for Shrive's death. Add on to that the fact that both their sons, Blik and Krag, had died fighting the Reaper, and Misira's pain and temper would be unpredictable. She had obviously not birthed the two krogan boys, but she had helped to raise them and adored them as her own.

_She was very fond of Thug too_, Eír reminded herself, feeling her eyes heating. Misira would learn of the death of three she considered family today, and seeing Eír again on top of that- the hotheaded child who had lead Shrive to her doom- _no_. It was _definitely_ a mistake to have come back here.

She retreated a bit more back into the shuttle, watching the reunion sadly. Misira, dignified as always, nevertheless wavered slightly like a tree in a high wind as Buhto spoke to her. The younger, unfamiliar asari was not so composed. She bent her head, weeping, and as the turian took hold of her to comfort her, Eír noticed that she was rather significantly pregnant.

The sight stabbed only more grief into her. She and Shrive would never have daughters. They would never have that family, that normal life that seemed to come so easily to others. Since she had come out of the tank, Eír's life had been filled with little besides misery and pain, a whirlpool of madness that she couldn't seem to escape, no matter what she did.

_I had Shepard in my sights_, she thought, covering her mouth as her eyes overflowed. Foolish and irrational as she knew it was, she was consumed with the idea that- if she had _only_ pulled the trigger- she would finally be free to be normal, be _happy_.

She jolted as she heard Buhto shout toward the shuttle, and when she looked up, she realized he was calling for her. "Come on, girl…quit dawdling!"

Wiping her face she steeled herself, almost timidly emerging from the shadows and onto the small ramp. Taking a shuddering breath she forced her shoulders to square, her feet to keep moving. She was only a few steps across the space that separated them when Misira broke away from Buhto's side, sharply throwing off the krogan's restraining hand and ignoring his rumbling, _'Missy…'_

Eír only had time to step back a pace before pain slapped across her face, Misira's hand colliding against her cheek with an audible _crack_. Old as she was, Misira was not weak or frail by any definition. Eír's feet lifted out from under her, the ground whipping across her back. Coughing, she curled her fingers against her wounded cheek, half pushing herself up. She could not retaliate biotically, she was still cinched...and she would not fight Shrive's mother, even if she _could_ hope to subdue her physically. So instead, Eír simply sat, blurred vision settled on Misira's feet. Vaguely she was aware of the unfamiliar asari calling out in horror.

"_Mother!"_

_So, it is Fier, Shrive's older sister. She has come with her bondmate all the way from Thessia._ The information was noted, filed, and vanished away as Misira's hands reached down. One closed on Eír's throat, cutting off her wind as the other wrestled her to her feet.

Air choked off, she gripped Misira's arm, arching her head a little and trying to ease the pressure. She could have lashed out, probably even hurt the woman with a well-placed kick or blow, but some part of her seemed almost relieved, resigned. Misira deserved to have her vengeance, and Eír was tired of life.

Her eyes fixed on Misira's face as Buhto reached them, taking firm hold of his bondmate, trying to urge her back. The Matriarch resisted him, throat so thick with grief and anger her voice didn't even sound as her own.

"_You are not welcome here!" _

"_Missy, stop_! It's _Eír_, she's part of our clan! She helped us fight-"

"She is _no part_ of Dundrin, and _no part of this family_! We have only _one_ child left thanks to this _unnatural monster_!"

"Krag and Blik didn't die because of _Eír_!" Buhto hauled her back, her grip tearing free of Eír's throat. Buhto had his arms around Misira's waist as he bodily carried her back a few paces, despite her struggling. Eír, released, dropped back to the ground, feeling her own miserable sobs choking her.

"_Get out of here!"_ Misira's rage would not be calmed or thwarted by her mate. Even as he hauled her back she continued to verbally assault the girl huddled on the ground. "You are _not welcome here_ anymore! You are nothing more than a killer, a _deviation_!"

"Missy!"

"_**You should never have been born!"**_

Buhto finally hauled his wife inside, her furious shrieks turning into heavy sobs. Eír swiped a hand over her wet face, leaving streaks of mud as dust mingled with tears, and abruptly rose to her feet. Reaching in the shuttle she took her small pack. She wasn't welcome here. This was no longer her home. She'd done nothing but bring pain on these people.

_Misira is right. I never should have been born_.

"Please, wait!"

As she started away an awkward set of light footsteps ran up to her, taking her arm. Her haggard lavender eyes turned to meet dark green ones, swollen with tears and pleading. Fier had one hand around her ponderous belly, the other lightly grasping Eír. Behind her, the turian was trotting over, reaching out for her with a soft hush. She ignored him, fixing Eír's gaze.

"By the Goddess, are you _all right_? Mother is…she does not mean it. Please, _stay_. You _are_ part of this family-"

"You don't know me," Eír said tautly, her voice small and rasping thanks to the near-throttling.

"No, but Shrive loved you," Fier said. "She _loved _you, and _I_ loved my sister. I _want_ you here. _Father_ wants you here."

Eír sought the girl's eyes and face a moment, unconsciously seeking out the small marks of resemblance between Fier and her younger sister. Hints, vague shades of Shrive could indeed be seen. They were almost enough to make her stay.

"No, she's _right_," Eír said at last, tugging her arm away with a glare. "I _am_ a monster. If I stay you'll end up dead too. You, your child, your bondmate… I kill _everything_ that comes near me. Believe me, it is best if I stay as far away from you as possible."

"I _do not_ believe that-"

"_Believe it, __**princess**_!" Eír's voice was little more than a vicious snarl, the force of it recoiling Fier back a little, the turian glaring as he wound a protective arm around her shoulders. "I am _Death_, and if you are wise, you will _not step into my path again_!"

Turning away she strode off toward the desert once more. This place was not her home. Tuchanka was not her home, not any more. She had tried to go back, and had failed to do _anything_ but bring more pain down on Dundrin Clan.

There was only one course left to her now. If she could do no good work, if she could inflict nothing but pain and destruction, then she would _bring_ pain and destruction. She had tried to thwart Gellian's will, time and time again. It had cost her Shrive. It had cost her Thug. Now it had cost her Clan Dundrin and her krogan brothers.

She had learned her lesson.

She had hesitated to pull that trigger because Shepard had cured the genophage. She had fought for the krogan. Perhaps she wasn't evil, did not deserve the scope of Gellian's vengeance, but that no longer mattered.

What mattered was only this: however long it took, no matter what she had to do, Eír would fulfill her only purpose.

Shepard would die.

And then _Eír_ would die.

* * *

"Lieutenant! They made it through!"

His clawed hand slid gently over the face of the dead soldier at his feet as he blinked back into reality. Straightening to his feet, he looked toward the private that called to him. The younger male was pointing toward the edge of the ruin. A trio of forms moved like ghosts through the drifting sand, heading their way.

Stepping away from Akaris's side, the turian lieutenant headed their direction, one hand instinctively lifting against the howling winds.

"Captain?" he called as he neared them. "Captain Shepard?"

The smallest of the four forms stepped past the others, hands peeling off a helmet as she lifted her voice. "I'm Captain Shepard," she replied, half-shouting to be heard over the bellowing storm. "You're the man in charge here?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Tarquin Victus, ma'am."

"_Victus_?" She seemed surprised, and he nodded grimly.

"Yes. The Primarch is my father."

"A fact he neglected to mention."

"He probably didn't consider it important." He couldn't help the faintly bitter twist to his voice. "Captain, please come this way…it's a bit more sheltered over here."

They moved over closer to the semi-covered area near the far wall. The wind was less here, and they wouldn't have to shout. Half a dozen wounded were lying there, as well as another half dozen covered forms. He saw the human captain's eyes move over them grimly a moment before she looked back at him.

"Can you fill us in on the situation?"

"We're on a priority mission," he said. "I had two ships under my command, over thirty men. We were beset by hostile forces as we crossed territory not four clicks from here. Our goal lays just to the east. I was afraid if I engaged the Reaper forces in the open we would suffer casualties. I-"

"He made the decision to flank into these ruins instead," one of the wounded said, glaring as their heads turned toward him. "You can see how well _that_ decision panned out!"

Tarquin felt the weight of the human woman's frown as she looked at him, and lowered his head a little. "It…it was a bad call. We had no room to maneuver. It was-"

"A _slaughter_! Ten good men dead, ten wounded, our ships in pieces with this storm lashing us and Reaper forces all around-"

"_Hey_!" The human woman's tone was sharp but not bereft of understanding. Blinking under the weight of her glare, the wounded turian closed his mouth, and she looked back at Tarquin.

"He's right," Tarquin said. "I never should have been in charge of this mission. It's my fault this happened, and now we have neither the ships nor the resources to complete our mission. Thousands will die because-"

"_Hang on_." Shepard's eyes were dark chips of flint under her knit brows, but the hand that reached out and gripped his shoulder was kind. "Bad calls happen. _Mistakes_ happen. You own them and you move on. Now. We were given no information about the parameters of your mission. You said thousands would die. What's going on?"

Tarquin measured her, grateful that someone else, someone _competent_, would be able to take charge. Bad calls might happen, but _his_ had only gotten good men killed.

After a moment's pause, he said, "After the Rebellions, when the genophage was implemented, my people secretly placed a massive buster bomb on Tuchanka. It was a safety net, in case the krogan rebelled again or found a way to cure the genophage. In light of recent…_developments_, the existence of that bomb is not only an embarrassment but may in fact spark the very war we're trying to avoid. My father asked me and my men to get to the bomb site, disarm it, and dispose of it before it could be discovered or detonated."

"A buster bomb?" The human woman's face had gone furious and rigid. "You mean a 1245-A-3 Lasher-Class _World Buster_ bomb?"

"Yes, I mean exactly that. It's planted right on the biggest fault in this hemisphere. That bomb goes off, Tuchanka will crack like an egg."

"Jesus _fuck_!"

"Shepard, such an event would kill every living creature on Tuchanka within nine minutes, and shake apart the planet along each juncture of its tectonic plates. Within twenty standard hours, Tuchanka would be nothing more than a debris field, a new asteroid belt."

This was from the other feminine figure in the group. She was not wearing a hard-suit and looking at her now, Tarquin realized with some surprise she was, in fact, a synthetic.

"Then we'd better make _goddamn sure_ that doesn't happen," Shepard said furiously. "Lieutenant, how far away are we from the bomb site?"

"It is another three miles from here, and every inch of _that_ is swarming with Reapers."

"All right. We'll help you get this bomb deactivated and removed. It won't go off until signaled?"

"That's the _other_ part of the problem," he said. "The bomb was designed to go off if the genophage was cured, regardless of outside signal or involvement. It constantly samples the air and if it finds quantifiable levels of anti-genophage agents in the atmosphere, it will automatically detonate. Fortunately, given the Shroud dispersal rates, distance between the Shroud and the bomb, and the general composition of Tuchanka's atmosphere, we have a minimum of two days still until that happens. Annoying as it is, this storm is blowing away from the bomb and toward the Shroud. It'll end up buying us another few hours."

"Good, that's good then. It shouldn't take us that long to reach and deactivate it. I have a shuttle orbiting safely outside the scope of this storm."

"Ok, good," he said, then waited for her to continue. She didn't, merely looked at him with one upraised brow, expectant. After a nervous moment, he cleared his throat. "Uh, Captain…?"

"_You're_ the commanding officer here, Tarquin. I'm here to aid you, nothing more. You know my resources, you know the parameters of the mission. What do we do?"

"Captain, I appreciate your thought, but you outrank me both in pips and experience. I don't think it's wise that I command this mission in light of-"

"In light of what?"

"Well…" He gestured helplessly at the dead and wounded. Shepard folded her arms.

"Look, Tarquin. You made a _mistake_. I _get_ that. People have died on my watch too, but I haven't got time to _coddle_ you. The turians made this mess, and I'm going to _help_ the turians clean it up. Now _grow a goddamn pair!_ I daresay you've earned your rank, so act like a leader and _lead_!"

He grit his teeth, stiffening a bit. His eyes shifted away from her to move over the silent and covered forms, the glaring accusation on the faces of the wounded. Turning around, he looked at the broken ship, at the dark shape of Akaris's limp corpse.

"Thousands, if not _millions_ of lives are relying on you, Victus," Shepard reminded him. "What are your orders?"

"I can't do this," he said softly.

"_What are your orders_?"

He snapped around, snarling furiously at her. Small as she was, she didn't even blink, just glared right back at him, as unmoving and unforgiving as the storm.

"Call your shuttle in to the edge of the storm," he said sharply. "Let's get these wounded packed up and through the ruins while the swath you cut is still clear. You and your men will precede us and pick off any threat. Once the wounded are on board your shuttle can take the rest of us in as close to the bomb site as is possible."

She straightened and snapped a salute, a tight smirk lifting one side of her mouth. "Yes, _sir_."

* * *

The door buzzed only a moment, just enough to draw attention before it slid open. Liara straightened from her console where she'd been messaging Feron, both Miranda and Garrus looking around at the interruption as well.

Haley entered, two of his armed security guards on his flanks. "I'm sorry for the intrusion-"

Liara was in no mood. "Haley, I thought we had settled this in the cargo bay."

"Ma'am, Cerberus just landed on the planet," he told her. Liara stiffened.

"What?"

"A small Cerberus frigate is dogging the dark side of the planet. Joker and EDI picked it up on scans. It has dropped troops very near to Captain Shepard's last reported location. Joker is bringing the _Normandy _around now to try and engage it."

"Has Captain Shepard been notified?"

"EDI is informing her now." He looked at Miranda. "If you'll come with me please?"

Liara flared a little, a shimmer of biotics surging over her skin. "Miranda had _nothing_ to do with-"

Miranda held out a hand. "It's alright, Li. A former Cerberus operative shows up very shortly before a Cerberus frigate…I'd be suspicious too. Sitting in the brig for a while isn't going to hurt me any."

Reluctantly, Liara conceded, but as Miranda started forward at Haley's gesture, she fixed him with a stern look. "You _will_ treat her with every courtesy."

"Of course, ma'am."

He almost elegantly extended his arm toward the door, waiting for Miranda to step out with his men before turning to follow them. As the door slipped shut, Garrus wiped a hand over his face.

"Cerberus again, popping up every time we turn around."

"It seems their motivations now lay with thwarting the efforts of the non-human species in any way they can. The Illusive Man must think a great deal of his 'Project Shiva' if he truly believes he can win this war with humankind alone."

"He's delusional, insane. You _know _he's indoctrinated," Garrus said. "This is just the Reapers' way of pitting us against each other. He's being controlled. If we have to spend all our resources fighting ourselves, then there'll be none left to take on the big boys-…what? What did I say?"

Liara's eyes had gone unfocused, her shoulders squaring as her eyes widened. "Controlled…"

"Yeah, that's what's going on. Indoctrination, Cerberus troops altered with tech that looks like it came straight off a husk-"

"No, no. I mean, _yes_, but that's not what I…on Mars, at the archives. The Illusive Man was determined, and tried to convince Shepard that the Reapers shouldn't be destroyed, that they should be-_could _be- _**controlled**_. He said that if humanity _controlled_ the Reapers then there would be none to stand against them. They would be the sole and apex power in the entire galaxy."

"You think that's what Shiva is all about? That the Illusive Man is trying to come up with a way to control the Reapers?"

"It makes as much sense as anything else. Cerberus is indoctrinated, but as you know, indoctrination is generally a slow process, outside a direct and continuous influencing source. Even then, it takes a long while- Saren practically lived aboard Sovereign for quite some time before he fully became its slave."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"If he was fully indoctrinated, he would not have spent so much time and so many resources into trying to understand its processes, trying to break hold of its influences. He would have simply been a puppet to Sovereign's will, incapable of independent thought any longer. If the Illusive Man were exposed to Reaper technology that started the indoctrination process- back when he first broke Cerberus away from the Alliance- then it is likely he did start off trying to find a way to control or stop the Reapers. As the indoctrination grew worse, as the years passed, he may have completely convinced himself _that_ was what he was doing, a frantic defense mechanism against realization of the truth. Even now he may honestly believe, even in his madness, that what he is doing is _against_ the Reapers, and _for_ humanity. If Project Shiva was first birthed along with Cerberus, it may be the culmination of that deluded dream. It may be, in _his_ mind at least, a way to _control_ the Reapers…to turn the masters into the slaves."

"Well, if that's so, then it doesn't seem to have worked. Miranda said her signs were pointing toward Shiva already being complete. If that's what Shiva was for, and if it _worked_, wouldn't the Reapers be _leaving_ Earth and concentrating more on the other home worlds? Or amassing on the Citadel with a Cerberus flagship at the fore?"

"That is true," Liara said. "But what is it you do if you've poured thirty years and incalculable resources into a single project, when it's finally completed?"

He nodded grimly, understanding. "You test it."

"Exactly. If Shiva _is_ complete, if it is a way to control the Reapers, then the Illusive Man will want to test it. May _be_ testing it as we speak."

She slapped a hand down on her desk, sighing in frustration. "I _need_ my Broker network back online. If this is being tested, there will be evidence somewhere, something out of place…_something_ that will point to a _where_ if not a _what_. I need my _network_!"

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Call Feron," he said. "Get the ball rolling. I'll contact the turian government and STG and see if I can't dig anything up myself. They might be able to help."

She nodded, closing her eyes a moment. "Yes, I will do that. Thank you, Garrus."

"I'm good for more than calibrating guns on occasion," he said. "I'll let you know if I find out anything, and when Shepard is back on board I'm sure she can call in a few favors as well. If this _Shiva_ is out there, we'll find it."


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Quick note for those of you who didn't notice- I edited a couple of errors in the last chapter. Also, I have put up a few more stories on my Fictionpress account, for those who follow my original work. Two are completed, and one is the beginning of a much longer story. So...have a look!

Remember, it's Melaradark there just as it is here.

* * *

The crosshairs focused on the forehead of the husk in the distance; one of those demented batarian monstrosities. Narrowing her eye ever so slightly, Shepard squeezed the trigger, smiling in satisfaction as the thing collapsed.

"_Clear!_" she said as she lowered her rifle, turning and waving the turians on. As they moved down the broken throughway, Wilcher ran ahead, taking the next scope-point and clearing it.

Some of the wounded were able to walk, but a couple had to be carried. All around, beating on the sides of the rock walls and crumbled buildings, the storm continued to throw its tantrum.

_{Captain, I am in position,} _Cortez said. She touched her radio.

"Copy that, we're nearly there. Ten more minutes. Keep an eye on the infrared and watch incoming."

_{Roger that.}_

As she moved ahead and took the next scope-point, lifting her rifle to her eye and clearing the next leg of their route, EDI came up to her side. "Captain, Miranda Lawson has come on board the _Normandy_."

"Lawson?" Del was surprised, lowering her rifle and waving Wilcher and Vega ahead for the next section.

"Yes. She apparently had urgent news and wished to discuss it face to face. She is now speaking in private with Dr. T'Soni."

"Whatever she needs Liara can handle it for now." Del gestured to the turians to move up, turning to make sure nothing was coming up on their flank.

"Sergeant Haley has expressed concern over her presence on the ship."

"Understandable, but you make sure Haley knows that she's my friend, and welcome aboard. We can discuss his concerns when I get back."

"Understood, Captain."

She spotted another husk, a human one this time, meandering through a set of broken columns at their rear. It didn't seem to have noticed them yet. Snapping her rifle back up to her shoulder, she ensured it never would.

They reached the shuttle without further incident. Shepard helped to load the wounded on board before she moved up to the helm with Tarquin.

"The lieutenant has coordinates for you, Steve. You're going to drop us there, then get these wounded up to the _Normandy_. I'm going to need you back down here as quickly as possible but they need medical attention."

"Understood," he said, then input the numbers Tarquin provided, pulling them up on his helm. "Looks like it's well out of the storm, so that's something. I got a decent LZ, plotting now."

"Captain," EDI stepped up again, and as Del looked at her she said, "We have just detected a small Cerberus frigate that has dropped troops very close to our intended destination. Haley is on his way to remove Miranda to the brig."

"What?" Del's eyes grew dangerous. It was getting so she couldn't fucking _sneeze_ without Cerberus showing up! She was unconcerned with Miranda; she knew perfectly well she had nothing to do with the frigate showing up, and a short time in the brig wouldn't hurt her. Shepard had bigger fish to fry right now.

_Because we didn't have __**enough**__ on our hands with the damn Reapers and a great big fucking bomb?_

"All right, Cortez, this just got more interesting. Keep us in low and do continuous scans. EDI, you tell Joker he's to engage that frigate and wipe it out."

"Should I inform Wrex of their presence?"

"No. We tell Wrex that Cerberus is here, and he'll want to know what for. We're still under turian classification protocols. Tarquin, I hope you're up for this."

He didn't look it, but he nodded anyway. "We don't have much choice, Captain. That bomb goes off and everything on this planet is wiped out…as is all hope of galactic unification."

"Then let's get this done. Put the pedal down, Cortez."

As the shuttle headed on its way, Del shed her helmet for a moment, wiping her damp hair back from her face, feeling the tension coiling her muscles.

_What does Cerberus want? They have to be here for the goddamn bomb, I don't buy that their LZ is just coincidence…but to what end? Do they want to set it off and destroy the krogan? Or do they want to steal it for other means? Does it have something to do with Miranda being on the __**Normandy**__?_

In the end, of course, it didn't really matter. Whether or not theft or detonation was their goal, Shepard and her team were going to stop them.

_I'm not going to lose this war. Not against the Reapers, not against Cerberus, not against my own fucking mind. If it fucking tears me apart, I am __**not**__ going to lose this war._

* * *

There were only four or five able-bodied turians left on Tarquin's team, himself included. Shepard had turned this mission over to his command, and while he was _trying_, it was painfully obvious he simply wasn't command material.

Her temper was growing ever shorter, every fiber of her being desperate to just assume command herself. Tarquin probably would have been just as relieved to surrender it. God knew the _last_ thing Del needed was to baby-sit a timid, fumbling _turian._

Instead of just taking over, however, she forced herself to remain in second, giving him advice and support but deferring to his decisions. As they drew closer to the bomb sight, their Reaper opposition fading away only to be replaced by Cerberus, her tactics seemed to be working. His own men were starting to respond better to him, and as a result, he was growing more confident and decisive.

_We just __**might**__ fucking survive this._

Despite her actions, she couldn't help the niggling thoughts that continually wracked her head, growing worse the more frustrated she became. He was incompetent because he was _turian_. No _human_ military would train their command officers so damn poorly. Thought after thought would run through her mind and time and time again, she would mentally correct herself, holding an argument with her own psyche until she well and truly had the beginnings of a wicked migraine.

Almost coinciding with the appearance of the first shock troopers in their path, Del unconsciously began to hum. That song that she had been working on for Liara inexplicably chose this moment to start playing through her mind, and- incomplete as it still was- humming it seemed to ease her headache a little, help her to focus. It seemed to give her real thoughts an edge over the bigoted, persistent little voice that was hers- and yet _not_.

Her back to a fallen pillar, Shepard ducked down as a grenade exploded nearby, sending a rain of rock and dust down over her head. Cerberus had withdrawn a little, closing in tight around the bomb site, which was not thirty yards from their current position. Unfortunately it was at the top of a staired structure, giving their enemy the advantage of height. Turning her head, she slipped the barrel of her rifle just over the top of the pillar, switching her scope to infrared to cut through the smoke.

A pair of Cerberus troopers were near the controls for the bomb. Shepard quickly focused in on the one bent over the panel and dropped him. A moment later another grenade went off with a flash of fire, prompting her to duck back behind cover again.

"Victus, it looks like we have our answer," she said. "They're definitely trying to _detonate_ the bomb."

"We _need_ to get up there!"

"Yeah, _no shit_-"

Like a swarm of angry bees, a wave of gunfire sang over her position, and she instinctively covered her head as the bullets chipped against the pillar. Tearing a grenade off her own belt, she activated it and lobbed it, waiting for the sharp rumble of detonation before daring to poke her sniper back over the pillar. As she zoomed in on the control panel, she saw the second trooper duck out of sight. At the same moment, a warning alarm began to wail.

"The bomb is active!" Tarquin said.

"How long we got?" Shepard asked.

"Not long!"

Shipping her sniper, she drew her assault rifle. Pitching a second grenade toward the stairs, the moment it went off she was over the pillar, Tarquin at her heels.

Seeing their charge, the others quickly abandoned cover as well, laying down suppressing fire and working up behind them.

Erasing two troopers, Shepard took out a third with a hard crack of her rifle butt into his face plate, throwing him aside and down the stairs, where he was quickly dispatched by their remaining men. As they reached the platform with the control panel, Del covered the other end as Tarquin rushed for the controls.

The HI was flashing an angry red, the panel itself spitting. "They've damaged the panel. I can't access the controls to switch it off!"

"Try your omni-tool," she called back to him, then turned to address a hard-suit that had pulled himself up on the other side of the platform, lifting a pistol. She dropped him, and heard the unmistakable sound of a shuttle's engines. They were bringing in reinforcements.

"I can't interface with my omni-tool," Tarquin said, voice growling with frustration as he jabbed at it.

"That bomb _cannot_ go off! There _has_ to be another way!"

"Shepard, the bomb could be physically removed from the detonator," EDI said, pointing upward along the structure. Like a large ball captured in a clamp, the world-buster bomb was attached just overhead.

"Shepard! I have another dozen Cerberus coming in hot from the east!" Wilcher said, he and Vega heading down the stairs again.

"_Go_, Captain!" Tarquin looked at her. "_I'll_ get the detonator detached, _you_ take care of Cerberus."

"You sure you can-"

But he was already away, rushing to one of the access ladders and scaling the side of the structure. He had absolutely no cover up there, and if they didn't cover his ass, he'd get picked off as easily as shooting a bird off a wire.

Rushing for the stairs, she and EDI joined the others. Now that the defensible higher ground was theirs, they had the advantage, and intended to keep it. They pushed hard, laying everything they had down and forcing Cerberus to remain under cover as much as possible so they could not get a bead on Victus. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw that he had two of the three detonator connections detached, and was picking his way toward the third.

"Keep it up!" she said. "We're nearly clear!"

Only a moment later, she heard gunfire erupt from _behind_ her. Looking back toward Victus she realized he was standing on the bomb casing itself, his rifle out as he fired toward the detonator connection.

_The fuck is he doing? The connection must be jammed…the casing is shielded on the outside of it but there must be a gap on the inside. That's what he's shooting at. The second it comes free he's going to fall with that bomb-_

With the pained, tearing squeal of metal, the bomb's weight shifted on the ruined clamp. Victus flung his arms out a little to steady himself, rebraced, and continued firing. He had only let loose five or six more shots when the clamp gave out, the bomb ripping free of its mooring. It plummeted into the shaft below it; the shaft that lead into the deepest point of the fault line the weapon had been meant to rip asunder.

Without uttering a sound, Tarquin fell with it.

* * *

There was a small gathering in the cargo hold as the shuttle returned to the _Normandy._ Chakwas and her medical team were the first to head forward, quickly taking charge of the two surviving turian soldiers, and Vega, who'd been shot in the arm.

As Shepard stepped off, helmet in hand, she looked momentarily toward Liara, Garrus, and Haley, but headed for Victus.

"Primarch, I am so sorry for your loss," she said, taking the man's hand as she reached his side. He nodded grimly.

"Thank you, Captain. He will be sorely missed, but his death saved a lot of lives, and ensured the continuation of this peace."

"It did indeed, and you will be proud to know he did not hesitate."

"I am, thank you. And thank you again for going and taking over the mission-"

"With respect, sir, I did _not_ take over the mission."

He blinked at her. "I'm sorry?"

"I was there to help, but your son was in command of this mission, and he _remained_ in command until its conclusion. He was a true turian officer, and a credit to the Fleet. I am honored I was able to work with him."

Victus looked stunned, and for a moment he could only stare. Then she saw the emotion in his eyes-faint, well-schooled, but definitely there. "_Thank you_, Captain."

She nodded once, taking a step back and saluting, before she turned away and headed toward the lift, shedding her weapons pack and passing it and her helmet off to an armory private. Liara, Garrus, and Haley fell into step behind her.

"Is Miranda still in the brig?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Haley said. "I felt it best she be there under the circumstances, until we had your orders."

"Then my orders are to release her. Find her accommodation if she's inclined to stay on board and send her up to the Nest to speak to me."

"Yes, ma'am."

She heard the grim note in his voice and looked at him. "Haley, you did your job just fine. You did _exactly_ what you should have done under the circumstances. However Miranda is an old friend, and I trust her implicitly."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

He saluted and headed away, Garrus following and leaving Shepard, and Liara to board the lift alone. Once the door had closed, Shepard let out a sigh and lowered her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You are uninjured?" Liara asked softly, touching her arm.

"I'm fine. For once, I don't have a goddamn scratch on me," Shepard told her, then gave her a faint, lopsided grin. "I must be losing my touch. So, _Miranda_ being here is a surprise. What am I _not_ going to like?"

The lift door opened and she stepped across the anteroom into the Nest, shedding her chest-plate as she did so. As she cast it loosely toward her locker, Liara reached her side and began to help her out of the rest of her hard-suit. "We can discuss that when Miranda is up here," she said. "For now, you need to take a moment and unwind."

"I think me actually _unwinding_ is optimistic," Shepard said. "I haven't been able to unwind since Vancouver. I _do_ need a shower though, I smell like a varren."

Finishing with the hard-suit and hauling her boots off, she turned to head toward the bathroom, only to be stopped by Liara's soft touch. Turning back toward the asari, she blinked when Li cupped her sweaty face, lightly kissing her.

"What brought that on?" she asked as their lips parted.

"I need an excuse?"

"No, I just… I know I stink-"

Liara took her hand and stepped past her, drawing her up the stairs to the bathroom. Releasing her hand as they reached the door she hooked her tunic off, began to strip. Shepard arched an appreciative brow, and grinned.

"Much as I like where this is going, Miranda's gonna be up here in a few minutes-"

"Contrary to popular belief, Del, I _can_ restrain myself around you," Liara said with a glance. "Are you coming or not?"

Shepard shook her head, stripping out of her bodysuit as Liara stepped into the bathroom and started the shower. "Who says _I_ can restrain myself around _you_?"

Tossing the bodysuit into the sanitizer, she walked in, taking Liara's offered hand and allowing the asari to draw her in under the hot water. Despite the earlier kiss, Liara was neither playful nor lingering; she merely helped Shepard shower, washing her hair as Del soaped herself, clinically getting her clean that much faster.

As she reached past to shut off the water, however, Shepard caught her around the waist and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. Liara closed her eyes, tangling her fingers in Del's wet hair a moment, before Shepard released her and grabbed the towels.

They dried and dressed, Shepard smoothing down a fresh uniform almost the same moment the door chimed.

"Good timing," she said, looking at Liara. "Why don't you get out some drinks? Something tells me it's going to be necessary."

* * *

"An _experiment?_ And this is all to- what? Control the Reapers?"

Del had listened with both confusion and patience as Miranda and Liara told her all that they had discussed earlier, and Miranda's reasons for coming to the _Normandy_.

"We are not certain. We cannot _be_ certain," Liara said. "All we have right now is speculation."

"_Whatever_ it's for, this Project Shiva is real, and indications are that it's going to be tested soon, if it's not already in the process."

Shepard picked up the whiskey and tipped the bottle against her glass once more. Between the fingers of her left hand, a second cigar was smoldering. "What proof do we have of all this?"

"Unfortunately, _none_," Miranda said tiredly. "And what evidence _did_ exist has been wiped out by our mystery hacker. You need to trust me on this though, Shepard. This is _real_."

"Of _course_ I trust you, Miranda, it's just- we can hardly plan tactics or even start to address a threat if we have no real idea what it is or what it does, or even _where_ it is."

"With my connections to my broker network out of commission for the time being, finding that information is going to be extremely difficult," Liara said.

Shepard bobbed her head, taking a draw on her cigar, then ashing it.

"What about the Spectre network?" She looked up at the two women. "The same security problem comes into play if I try and access it from shipboard, but if we go to the Citadel and log in directly, we may be able to find something. The Spectre network draws information from a hundred different political and law enforcement databases. I mean, it's not the _Broker's_ resources but it's the next best thing, short of hiring another information dealer elsewhere."

"That- may in fact _work_," Liara said. "You would need your accesses but once you log in, I can peruse the files and see what I can come up with."

"Good, and we can be at the Citadel in just under ten hours, less than half the time it will take for _your_ resources to be reconnected."

"What will prevent the hacker from simply breaking in to the Spectre network as well?" Miranda asked.

"Given the ease that they got into Liara's databases, absolutely nothing," Shepard said. "They could already have been in there and wiped everything, but we have to at least _try_ it. I'm not going to allow this…this _Shiva_ of the Illusive Man's to go unchallenged. I'm pretty sure that, _whatever _it is, if it gets fully functional before we have eliminated the Reaper threat we're officially up shit creek without a paddle. I'll be fucked if that bastard gets away with his plans, not after everything he's done."

_Control the Reapers. It couldn't really be that, could it? Even he can't be so utterly crazy, indoctrinated or not._

She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes a moment.

_Fucker used me like a goddamn lab rat._

Miranda's voice broke her out of her thoughts."The Spectre network will be a good start, and I have no doubt we'll be able to find a lot more once Liara has her own contacts back fully in hand, but until we locate this hacker, organic _or_ synthetic, we're not going to get very far."

"You're right," Shepard agreed. "Finding the hacker has to be step one. For that, we need to find the _quarians_. Looking for them might not tip our little digital bastard off, but they'll be the strongest resource toward tracking the prick down to his source. If the Flotilla still exists, _anywhere_ in this galaxy, I want it _found_."

* * *

After walking Miranda over to the lift so she could head back downstairs, Liara returned to the sofa and sat down next to Del. The captain was idly swirling the remains of her fourth whiskey in the glass, her eyes unfocused and far away. Reaching over, the asari gently took her hand.

"Does this not bother you?" she asked gently.

"Course it bothers me," Shepard told her, eyes tuning back in as she looked at her. "It bothers me that I was used like a goddamn guinea pig for whatever sick ends he could come up with. It bothers me when I think about all the twisted projects we saw-the vivisections, the genetic experiments, marrying a human mind with an AI-and realize that if this is all true, there's something out there that is _all of them put together._ And it _fucking bothers me_ that all that research, all those resources, are being put to use to pervert humanity and fight _against_ us, instead of protecting Earth and stopping the damn _Reapers._"

She slapped the bottom of her glass down on the table, rising and stalking away a few feet. One hand planted on her hip, the other raking back through her hair.

"Of course, I am sorry Del. I just…you seemed so _calm_ about the whole thing. It made me sick to hear about it, to know what he had really done to you, and that your sister might be out there somewhere-"

"I told you before, Li. She's a stranger to me."

"I know, but you must feel _something_ in connection with that. She's family, a tie to-"

"To _what_? A couple of strung-out, good for nothing _assholes,_ wallowing in their own filth like bloated pigs?"

Shepard's eyes were flashing furiously as she looked at her love. "I _made_ my _real_ family, Li. You, Tali, Nan, Garrus, Anderson- I _made_ my real life. They gave me _jack shit_. _Everything_ that I have, I had to fight for, to sweat and bleed and _fight for_. So fuck them. And fuck _her._"

Rising, Liara came forward with sad understanding on her face. "That is the truth of the matter, isn't it, Del? Your mother was still together enough back then that she was able to take Inna to the hospital, to give her away. As a result, the girl was adopted, had warmth and food and shelter, education and probably the love of family. _That_ is what it comes down to. Inna was given that chance, and _you_ were not."

"Oh, fuck you, Tianlán," Del said with weary anger, glancing away stiffly. Liara was not fooled or dissuaded. Moving over, she took firm hold of Del's arm and pulled her around, hugging her tightly. Del gave one cursory attempt to pull free, which Liara denied her. After a moment, the human woman's arms wound tightly around the asari, and she returned the embrace with an almost painful strength.

"_What did I do_?" she asked roughly, the first touch of damp warmth following. "What did I do wrong? I was just a _baby_, Liara. What did I do to deserve that room? To deserve _them_? _What did I do wrong?"_


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: The Citadel Coup mission is going to be a bit left-of-canon. There were some issues I had with the mission in the game- not that I didn't thoroughly enjoy it!- and I've addressed those here. Also, I did it to incorporate a completley non-canon mission coming up having to do with Kahje and possibly our mysterious hacker- cue ominous music.

Finally, I left it on a cliffhanger...because I know how much y'all LOVE those :)

For those of you not aware, I have posted a bunch of new original fics on my Fictionpress site. Author name is the same, and I'd love to hear any thoughts or criticisms!

Now on with the show!

* * *

Just past 0345 ship time, Shepard wandered into the mess and poured herself a cup of black coffee, sitting down at the nearest table and sipping at it as she half-read over some reports. At that hour the mess was usually deserted, but barely had she sat down than a shadow fell over her.

Glancing up, she managed a faint smile. "I see some things never change."

Miranda smiled a little as well. "Mind if I-?"

"Not at all."

Lawson sat down, her own cup of coffee in hand. She, too, had a data pad in her hand, and as she set it on the table, she carefully nudged it to be in line with the edge. Del chuckled.

"Some things _really_ never change."

"Unfortunately, I shall always be a perfectionist," Miranda said. "And _you_ shall always be grumpy, gun-happy, and foul-mouthed."

"Cheers," Shepard said, lightly tapping her coffee mug against her friend's.

Miranda smiled, then looked at her. "This is rather familiar, isn't it? God, it seems like just yesterday we were doing this, and yet so much has happened."

"I know what you mean." She set her own data pad down, idly rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"You all right, Shepard?"

"Fine. Why?"

"To be perfectly blunt, Del, you look like hell. And you're up brooding in the mess before 0400. Are you not sleeping?"

"I sleep," Shepard said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Miranda, however, was nearly as stubborn as she.

"Catching ten minutes here and there is not sleeping, Shepard. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I just have a lot to do. There's too much on my mind."

"If I asked Liara and Nan, would they say the same?"

Del shrugged, a line deepening between her eyebrows. "Ask whoever you want. It won't change facts."

Miranda's blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and she held her warm mug between her hands a moment before she spoke again. "I'm sorry about Sydney, Shepard. And Ori. And Mordin."

"Yeah, well. It's war. Things happen."

"Of course, but that doesn't change the fact that they were your _friends_, Del. I know how strongly you feel for your crew, and having the Flotilla missing cannot be helping either-"

Shepard rose, picking up her coffee mug and pad. "I just remembered I have some things I need to take care of in the CIC. Good night, Miranda."

"Del-"

Miranda watched her depart helplessly, and let out a breath of frustration. "Terrific. Just…just _brilliant_, Lawson."

* * *

Traynor was up and breakfasted by 0500. Her shift didn't officially start for another half an hour, but she always liked to get an early jump on things. Part of growing up in a colony, she supposed. Everyone was usually up at first light, and there were always a million and one things that needed doing.

Striding into the CIC, she was surprised to see a figure standing on the promontory overlooking the galaxy map. Leaning on the railing, head lowered, Del Shepard was regarding the spinning holographic stars with a hollow, distant expression.

For a moment, Sam just watched her. Despite all that had happened since the attack on Earth, it was sometimes still difficult to believe that she was _actually_ serving on a ship, under _the_ Del Shepard. The captain's temper was legendary, and- if one were to believe all the stories and rumors that filled both the media and the service- she was not above executing civilians or even her own _crew_, were the mood to strike her.

All of it was, of course, hogwash- but it was hard to remember that when you were face to face with the legend herself. At least, at _first_ it had been.

Quite the opposite of being the stern, heartless commanding officer- Shepard had encouraged her, believed in her. Very quickly the madwoman spook of the stories faded away, and she saw the _real_ Del Shepard, the _true_ leader and woman behind the tales.

_She would die for each and every person aboard this ship. She wouldn't hesitate to do that, not an instant. _

Traynor had always been a little bit of a romantic. It hadn't taken long, once the façade of the media monster had dissipated, for that part of her to assert itself. Taken by the idea of the dashing, heroic captain, as beautiful as she was strong, Traynor had made a fool of herself more than once. At least, in her head she had, and she had chided herself repeatedly for such inappropriate thoughts.

Already, they had lead to a horrifically embarrassing conversation with Dr. T'Soni, and she could feel her cheeks heating all over again with the memory of _that_ mortification.

Still, as she stood there silently, watching the captain at the map, she could still _feel_ all of that. Part of her wanted to go up and put her arm around her, give what strength she could to the woman who had to be strong for all of them.

Not that she _would_, of course. Whatever her feelings, Traynor was not one for playing with someone else's toys. It had become abundantly clear, since that unpleasantness with Liara, that the captain absolutely adored the asari. Sam was happy for that, would never dream of interfering with it…even if she was a little wistful at the same time.

Nevertheless, she did consider Del a friend, and a woman she greatly admired. Seeing her this way was worrisome.

"Captain?" Traynor finally asked gently. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Shepard said, as she straightened from the railing. "Good morning, Specialist."

"Good morning, Captain."

Shepard turned and looked at her, and Traynor could see that she most definitely _wasn't_ fine. The shadows of exhaustion- which had been evident for more than a few days now- had only deepened, making her eyes look all the darker. Though still in peak condition she was also starting to lose weight, the signs most obvious around her cheekbones and the curve of her temples.

"We should be docking at the Citadel within the hour," Sam said helpfully, clasping her hands behind her back as Del came down from the promontory. Though Shepard was not the tallest of women, she had a good half-inch on Traynor, who had often been teased in school for being so tiny.

"Good. When we're in dock I want you to monitor communications throughout the sector and the extranet, as much as you're able. I'll be hitting the Spectre offices and possibly C-Sec."

"General information…or am I looking for something specific?"

"General for now, but if you spot anything unusual again with those sharp eyes of yours, I want to hear about it _yesterday_."

The compliment gave her a giddy little thrill of warmth, and Traynor nodded. "Of course, ma'am. Thank you ma'am."

"You're 'ma'am-ing' too much again, Traynor." Del smiled. "Shepard is just fine."

"Yes, of course."

As Del started to turn away to head across the CIC, Traynor cleared her throat. "On a…a _personal_ note, if I may?"

Shepard looked back at her, darkened brown eyes inscrutable."Traynor?"

"I-I was just thinking. You are working awfully hard. It's needed, of course, but sometimes even taking a few minutes to unwind is of help. I was wondering if you…play chess?"

"_Chess?_"

"Yes, it's a funny little game with carved bits that go on a bunch of little squares."

To her relief, Del smirked and chuckled faintly. "Yeah, I know what chess _is_. I'm just-not usually the _intellectual_ type. My idea of relaxing tends to be more physical. You know; lifting weights, boxing, zee-gee ball, that sort of thing."

"I can teach you how to play. It's all about strategy, really. And it's good to try new things on occasion. You might even enjoy it."

Shepard's face was amused, but skeptical. "Well, we'll see."

"Just keep it in mind," Traynor said.

"I'll do that. Now get to work before I forget why I pay you."

It was good to see her smile, weary and tight though it was. Sam smiled back, lifting one hand in salute. "Yes, Captain."

* * *

_{Captain, can you report up to the helm, please?}_ Joker's voice broke through the bustle in the CIC shortly after they emerged from the relay. Glancing upward a moment, Shepard finished signing Haley's report and nodded to the man, before heading to the front of the ship. Outside of the view screen she could see the shimmering colors of the nebulae, half-blocked by one looming arm of the Citadel station.

"What is it, Joker?" she asked as she came up behind him, resting her hand on his chair.

"Something's going on," he said. "There's dozens of ships out here in holding patterns, and the Alliance tower isn't answering me."

"That's odd. Try them again."

He hit a command. "Alliance tower, this is SSV _Norman_-"

A voice almost immediately broke through, sounding harried. _{Apologies, we're swamped down here. There is a security lockdown in effect on all docking ports of the Citadel. No ships are allowed to dock at this time. Please assume a holding pattern and hopefully it won't be too long-}_

Leaning over Joker's shoulder, Shepard touched the comm. "Security lockdown? What's going on? Maybe we can help-"

_{Thank you but no,}_ said the tower operator, his voice flustered. _{Right now all you can do is maintain a holding pattern until the situation is resolved and we can release the lockdown. Please take a pattern and stand-by.}_

Not one to be brushed off, _ever_, Shepard hit the button again. "Listen, if we can just-"

_{For the love of-…look. I don't know who you are, but I haven't got __**time**__ for this. I have six refugee ships, two frigates and nineteen cargo ships all swirling around out there and __**all**__ wanting to dock! Unless you have Captain bloody Shepard __**herself**__ on board, please just assume a holding pattern and wait!}_

"Well, how fortuitous," Joker said with a smile. Shepard's look was black.

"Tower, this _is_ Captain Del Shepard of the SSV _Normandy_- which you'd _know_ if you were actually checking your con-signs, or allowing us to get a full goddamn _sentence out_!"

_{Holy-}_ There was a rustle, then a pause, before the voice returned, sounding much cowed. _{C-Captain Shepard, I am __**so**__ sorry. It's been so crazy up here and I've felt like I've repeated myself more than-…I'm contacting C-Sec right now to clear you to dock.}_

"What's going on? Why the lockdown?"

_{I'm not entirely sure, ma'am. There's been some kind of security breach, an assault of some kind in the Embassy. We'd only just heard about it when C-Sec called the whole lockdown, told us no one was to dock or leave until they got things in hand. I'm sure when they know it's you, they'll-… one moment.}_

He broke off again, and Shepard looked at Joker. "Assault on the Embassy?"

"Some kind of assassination maybe? Or an attempt?" the pilot asked. Shepard shrugged, and the tower came back on the line.

_{Captain, Commander Bailey is authorizing you to dock immediately at slip 45-8907-A. He says he'll meet you at the airlock the moment you're clamped. Transmitting taxi-plan now.}_

"Thank you, tower. _Normandy_ out."

As she straightened the taxi coordinates appeared on Joker's helm. "Sounds like we're in for a party," he said as he started his approach. "Never ends, does it?"

"Doesn't seem too," Del said with a tired sigh. "Doesn't _goddamn_ seem too."

* * *

Liara had regained her strength, and was there in the airlock with Del only a few minutes later. Javik as well had joined them. He had approached Del the day before, after learning of their destination, and asked if he could come with her onto the Citadel.

"I have never seen it," he had said. "In my time, it had been under enemy control for centuries. I would like the opportunity before it is so again."

She didn't like that he approached that as inevitable, and told him as much. He had only shrugged.

"Looks like your first trip onto the Citadel is not going to be quite as planned," she said now as they waited for the airlock to clear. Not knowing what they were walking into, the three of them were wearing light armor only, but carrying their weapons packs.

"I have become used to there being battle when I am with you," he said. "Things seem to explode constantly."

She lifted a brow as she looked first to Liara, then to him.

"Javik, was that a _joke_?"

"No, merely observation."

"Hmm." She gave him a look, then straightened as the airlock buzzed and opened.

Immediately Bailey stepped forward to greet them, holding his hand out to Del. "I'm not a religious man, but _thank God_ you're here," he said as she shook it firmly.

"What's going on? We heard there was some sort of attack at the Embassies?"

"No one really saw the attackers," he replied with a nod, as he lead them across the docks. "Not even sure how they got in. We have three ambassadors and several of their staff dead- and one missing, right along with his assistant. Don't want them getting off the Citadel or any co-conspirators getting _on_ until we figure this out."

"That is very troubling," Liara said. "Which ambassadors were targeted?"

"Turian, elcor, human, all dead. Not shot, either- sliced up with some kind of edged weapons. _Brutally_, too. Poor Mimboras nearly had his head completely off. Not an easy task with someone like an elcor. The hanar ambassador, Zymandis, and his drell assistant are the two missing. From what we can tell, kidnapping Zymandis was the true objective, they just decided to wipe out whatever ambassadors they ran into on the way. Why someone would want _him_, though, is a mystery to me."

They took Bailey's car to the Embassies. C-Sec officers were all over the place, a few reporters clustering around the barrier posts, shouting questions that were ignored. When Bailey appeared with Shepard, Javik and Liara, the shouts grew louder and more insistent, eager calls of 'Captain! Captain!' punctuating the air.

They ignored them, and as they stepped deeper into the offices, the noise dimmed. "Vultures," said Bailey, shaking his head. "As you can see, I have people going over every inch of this place. We haven't even removed the bodies yet. All the surveillance is somehow useless. Cuts out seconds before the first death, and before anything suspicious even appeared. They've either got a goddamn quarian genius on their side, or a hacker of unbelievable talent."

Li and Del exchanged a look at this, both troubled. Could this be the same hacker that infiltrated the Broker network? If so, it was likely Cerberus was behind this. Bailey gestured grimly at a body that lay beneath a sheet just before the actual offices.

"I've got men sweeping every inch of the Citadel but so far we've had no luck. Whoever they are, they're like ghosts. Turian ambassador fell here. Didn't even get to make a sound. According to witnesses, four more were down before anyone even knew what was going on."

Shepard squatted beside the body, glancing at Bailey. When he nodded, she gently took the sheet and drew it back, looking at the dead turian.

"And no one saw who these attackers might be?" Liara asked.

"All we got was that they were humanoid, and not volus. They didn't wear armor or hard-suits, and they moved _fast_. That's it."

Shepard was thoughtfully examining a long gash across the dead man's chest. Bailey, spotting the look on her face, crouched down as well. "Think you see something?"

In answer, Shepard reached over her shoulder and drew her second katana, the one she'd liberated from the Cerberus fighter back on that snowy rooftop. She did not touch the wound with it, but lay the blade down carefully parallel to it. They were more or less the same length.

"Well, I'll be…" Baily rubbed his chin, stubble making a rough sound.

"I got this blade from a Cerberus assassin," she told him. "I can't prove it, but I'm willing to bet my last chit the same kind of weapon made this cut. We've also had some run-ins with a top of the line hacker, most likely under their employ as well."

"Damn. That's a few too many coincidences. What would Cerberus want with a hanar diplomat?"

"I don't know, but if we don't find them, he and his assistant are both likely to be dead- or somehow smuggled off the station. Javik, can you tell me anything?"

As the Prothean squatted, Bailey looked at him with knit brows in confusion. "Never seen one of _your_ kind before."

Javik just glanced at him, then reached out and touched the dead man, closing his eyes. After a moment, he withdrew his hand. "It happened fast. There is only the flash of steel that I can see, but it is definitely a blade like yours. I could try-"

"Commander!"

They looked over as one of the other officers ran up. "Cameras along the Presidium just went out, but we have some small images of a group heading for the Council tower. Looks like they've got…well, _those_, sir."

He pointed at Shepard's katana. She picked it up, immediately straightening and snapping it home. "They're going after the Council."

"I'll get the tower locked down and an evac alarm sent up to the Council offices right away. The _Destiny Ascension_ isn't in orbit right now, but the _Starstruck_ should be able to take them aboard. Jackson, I want every available unit to the Council tower immediately. Shepard, we'll meet you there!"

This last was shouted at Shepard's back, the captain and her two companions already running out of the Embassy.

* * *

Most of the streets of the Presidium had been cleared of traffic, but there were still a few random souls wandering about. Shepard didn't even bother for the car; the Embassies were fairly close to the tower.

They caught sight of the lifts just as a small group vanished into one, a limp figure in blue lying sprawled on the ground nearby. A few yards away, another figure in blue fired off a pair of shots, spanking them off the closing doors. Shepard picked up speed, slapping on her omni-tool.

"Bailey, I got a group that just went into the eastern lift, on their way up the tower! We're taking the western! You've got a man down!"

_{I've got a Spectre evacuating the Council to the roof now, there's a shuttle waiting. I'll get into the system, see if I can't halt or at least delay that lift!}_

The lift doors parted as Shepard ran up and then inside. The moment her boot crossed the threshold, something shiny and silver flashed out and she had only a breath to register that the there were two forms already within.

Faint pain stung the sides of her neck, almost instantly lost in the muscle clenching, agonizing roar of electricity.

She hit the floor of the lift, grunting and gasping for breath, unable to move. As the shock ended, black threatened her a moment before she managed to force it away, swallowing bile that had lifted in her throat. She was vaguely aware that the lift was moving, that Javik and Liara had not made it on board with her.

_Doors must have shut right in their faces_, she thought distantly, hand groping down for her pistol. As her fingers closed on the butt, the shock hit her again and she arched back, barking her head against the wall hard as her muscles locked.

This one didn't last as long. Even as it faded, she felt something cold and hard plant against her forehead.

Looking up through tear-blurred eyes, still trying to recover her breath, she focused on the two people occupying the lift with her.

The drell woman was crouched, holding the small pistol against Del's forehead, a bemused smile on her face. Behind her was a hanar, floating serenely before the glass side of the elevator.

"This one apologizes, Captain Shepard," it said calmly. "This one is very sorry that you must die now."


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: Still left-of-canon. This is gonna keep on a while, and don't think you know what's gonna happen next ! Maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh!

Uh…ahem. Onward!

* * *

Shepard's reflexes immediately snapped a hand up toward the gun, intending on wrenching it away. A desperate attempt, but it was doomed to be futile. With muscles that still twitched and trembled, aching with the force of electric shock that had passed through them, it seemed several agonizing seconds passed by before her hand even _started_ to lift.

The drell woman was not so afflicted, and Del could see her finger tighten on the trigger. She also saw something else; a small lever on the weapon that _had_ been pulled back, was now pushed forward.

Shepard actually grunted faintly as the gun clicked, the trigger pull impotent. She weakly batted the muzzle away, the motion a culmination of her effort to snatch it. Her other hand tightened in the wires still dangling from her throat and ripped the leads of the tazer out of her skin.

The drell suddenly lurched back, pistol jerking first upward and then tearing out of her hands and flying to the side. Shepard tossed the leads away and shakily stumbled to her feet as a shimmer of light resolved itself into a small woman, her tactical cloak falling away.

The thief landed a firm blow in the drell's face, and as the woman slumped, she flipped her to her stomach and pinned her wrist to the small of her back.

Drawing her own pistol, Shepard aimed it at the hanar, taking a step over the drell's legs. Her face was pure fury, an otherworldly revenant bent on destruction.

"This one begs the good captain not to shoot it!" Zymandis said fearfully, drifting as far back against the glass as it could.

Her voice was stiff and rough, barely sounding like her own. "If I were going to, you wouldn't have had a chance to _do_ that begging. Kas, you got that one secure?"

"She's out for the count, I think," Kasumi said, looking up at Shepard but not releasing her hold on the limp drell.

"That's the second time you've saved my life by flipping a safety. I'm glad you were around."

"Well you _do_ tend to get yourself into all sorts of interesting trouble."

"You have any idea what's going on?"

"No, just happened to hear some of the fuss on the Presidium," she said. "When I saw all the katanas go past, followed by my favorite hothead…well, I couldn't stay out of the _fun_ now, could I?"

"Well, I guess that just leaves _you_ then," Shepard said, pressing her pistol forward an inch. The hanar shrank back even further, its colors going brighter with alarm.

She hit her radio. "Liara, you and Javik all right?"

Silence. She tried again. "_Bailey_, can you hear me?"

No response. Narrowing her eyes she rolled her shoulders a little. "_Start talking_, Zymandis."

"This one is only doing what is best for this one's people-"

"Don't feed me that line of bullshit! _Just facts_! Are you indoctrinated?"

"This one does not believe so-"

"Are those people Cerberus? Why are you working with them? Why did you kill those ambassadors, and what do they want with the Council?"

"This one understands that Cerberus works for the same ends as the Reapers. This one and his people know that we must all serve the Reapers-"

"Sounds indoctrinated to _me_," Kasumi said with a shrug.

"No, this one knows the truth-"

"_What_ truth?"

"This one's people follow the blessings of the Enkindlers. This one and its people know what Captain Shepard herself knows- the Collectors are Prothean, and the Collectors serve the Reapers. Therefore, this one and its people must also serve the Reapers."

"You're fucking _kidding me_," Del said, low under her breath. "You've all just decided that-"

The lift, which had been sailing upward all this time, slowly slid to a halt. Not sure what was waiting on the other side, Shepard barely glanced over, hitting the door-hold so it would not open.

"What is Cerberus's objective here?" she demanded.

"They were supposed to create chaos at the Embassy." The answer didn't come from Zymandis, but rather his assistant, still pinned under Kasumi. "It would help to get the Ambassador and I out, and then when they headed for the tower, it would prompt the Council to evacuate."

"They're not trying to hurt the Council?"

"No. They just want them to run."

"_Why?"_

"This one knows that the shuttle is rigged," Zymandis said. "This one knows, if they board it, they will be convinced to the way of Cerberus, which is the way of the Reapers. This one knows that, once they are aboard the rescue ship, no one will have reason to suspect that anything has changed-"

"But they'll be indoctrinated." Shepard felt cold. _Indoctrinate them on the shuttle, then let them off on the rescue ship with no one the wiser. They resume their posts, and …_

Stepping back, she looked at Kasumi. "Watch over these two, keep them here."

"Be careful, Shep," Kas replied with a nod. Shaking out her arms, Shepard flanked the lift door and hit the button to open it. Peering out carefully, she saw no immediate threat. Not daring to wait, she ran out into the alcove. Just beyond it was the landing platform of the tower. At the far end was a waiting shuttle, and hurrying across the platform were the four Councilors.

As Shepard rushed out into the sunlight, another figure whirled around, pistol snapping up. Shepard mirrored her, taking a defensive stance, even as she recognized their Spectre escort.

"Skipper?" Ashley blinked in surprise.

"Everyone needs to stop!" Del called out. "Councilors, do _not_ get on that shuttle!"

"What? _Why_?" Sparatus asked as they slowed to a halt.

"Williams, don't lower your weapon!" Udina shouted. He looked pale and wild-eyed, a thin sheen of sweat on his lip. "She's got to be working for _them_!"

Shepard had come to expect a lot from Udina- and the _rest_ of the Council, point of fact-but this particular accusation still shook her with shocked disbelief.

"_What?"_

"The threat may be Cerberus," Udina said, taking a step forward and pointing at her with a shaking hand. "Shepard used to _work_ for Cerberus. For all we know, _she still does_, and she's about to kill _all of us!"_

"_Are you fucking kidding_-"

Del took a step forward and Ash tensed. "Just don't move, Skipper!"

"Ash, for fuck's sake! _It's me_! There's a fuck of a lot of assassins on their way up the lift right now, and that shuttle is a _trap_. They're here to chase you into it! _Anyone_ that goes on that shuttle will end up indoctrinated!"

Tevos gasped with a blink, Sparatus scowling.

"That's ludicrous!" the turian said. "How do you know this?"

"She's telling the truth!" Kasumi said as she left the lift, walking up behind Shepard. She had secured both drell and hanar, and neither were going anywhere.

Seeing the unfamiliar woman with the katana on her back, Ash tensed again. Udina pointed frantically.

"_You see_? That's one of them right there! Shepard is lying! We need to get on the shuttle-"

"If I wanted you _dead_, Udina, I wouldn't have said a word, I'd have just started shooting!" Del glared at him, then met Ashley's eyes.

"Ash, you _said_ you trusted me. Was that a lie?"

"No…no, of _course_ not. But…this is messed up, Shepard. Do you know how this _looks_?"

"We have doubted Shepard before, and it has never turned out well," Tevos spoke up. She was lingering by Sparatus's side, but Valern and Udina had moved closer to the shuttle. Udina was the closest of all, and kept looking between it and everyone else, fear on his face.

"Agreed," Sparatus said. "I think it's time we give her the benefit of the doubt."

Shepard heard the second lift behind her suddenly dock, and shook her head. "C'mon Ash, things are about to get _really_ hot, and I'd love to have you on my side in this."

Her friend's jaw tightened. A moment later, the lift doors hissed open and with a nod, Williams shifted her aim toward the forms that rushed off of it, and opened fire.

Unable to allow herself even a moment of relief, Del whirled around as well, guns springing to life.

At least a dozen forms poured off the elevator, each almost identical to that bitch Del had faced on the snowy rooftop. They seemed armed with only the blades they carried, but she knew from experience that didn't make them any less deadly, or any less fucking _fast._

One dropped in the initial rush, falling under Ash's bullet. In the half second it took Del to turn and add her own fire to the mess, they had spread out. Kasumi darted forward, drawing her own weapons as a biotic sweep suddenly surged over the platform, tossing two off and into thousands of feet of thin air.

Tevos had been a Councilor a very long while, but she was still an asari biotic for all of that- and she was no lightweight, either. She grit her teeth as one of the assassins darted forward, bowling her back again with a blast of blue heat, before Ashley backed up toward her.

"Find cover, ma'am!"

"I will _not_ hide," Tevos replied.

"Neither will _I_," Sparatus said with a glower, stalking up and taking the rifle off of Ash's weapons pack, adding his fire to the mix.

A katana slashed in toward her and Shepard caught a sinewy wrist, jamming the muzzle of her gun into a midriff. The machine pistol chewed through cloth and gut alike, dark blood only tinged with red flooding out over her boot. As the arm went limp, she stopped firing and pistol-whipped the bitch in the head, dropping her back and turning to confront another.

Behind the melee, near the shuttle, Valern had hunched his shoulders, half covering his head as he watched the carnage. Udina clutched at him, frantically tugging him back toward the shuttle.

"_Come on_, we need to get under cover!"

"No, Shepard said _not _to go in!" Valern protested with a weak tug, but Udina was in a riot of adrenaline fueled fear. Hauling on the salarian, he was nearly to the shuttle door when suddenly a pair of shadows reached out, grabbing both men and hauling them inside.

The shuttle door closed and the vehicle revved up, began to lift. Drawn by the noise, Shepard turned her head, instantly noticing that Udina and Valern were both gone. "Fuck…_no_!"

One of the assassins got in close enough to grapple with Williams. Turning back to the fray, Shepard blew away another that was getting close to Sparatus, as Williams booted her opponent back. Tevos's biotics swept another pair off the platform.

As Ash planted four bullets into the one she'd kicked, silence fell. After a quick look around to insure there was no lingering threat, Williams headed toward Sparatus and Tevos. "You two ok?"

"Yes, but they took Udina and Valern!"

_{-…repeat, Shepard, this is Bailey! Are you receiving!}_

Del instantly hit her radio. "This is Shepard! Bailey, the shuttle that just departed the tower platform needs to be stopped! Valern and Udina are on board and are in _extreme danger_!"

_{I got two C-Sec cars on it now but it looks to be booking for open space. I'll notify the __**Starstruck**__, see if they can intercept!}_

Without bothering to reply, Del switched channels, meeting Kasumi's eyes and jerking her chin toward the open car that still held Zymandis and his assistant. As the thief nodded and headed that way, Del called the _Normandy_.

"Joker! There's a shuttle departing the Presidium and heading for open space! I want it tracked and get the _Normandy_ unclamped and after it. _Do not engage_! We've got two Councilors aboard hostage, understood?"

_{Crystal clear, Captain, but it's gonna take at least five minutes to get the __**Normandy**__ unclamped and out of dock-}_

"Just do it!"

A skycar with C-Sec colors suddenly lifted into view, sweeping over the platform and blasting them with wind before it began to lower. Shepard strode over to Ash and the other two Councilors. "Everyone ok?"

"Shaken, but unhurt," Tevos said.

"Good. We need to get you two out of here. Ash, they're in your hands. I've got to get after that shuttle."

"Just be careful, Skipper."

"You too, Ash," Shepard said, gripping her arm a moment. "Thanks for not shooting me."

"Hey, it was tempting but…I'm just glad things worked out as they did."

"Yeah, me too."

The skycar had settled, Liara out of it almost the moment the door opened."Shepard!"

"What is all this?" Sparatus asked, gesturing to Kasumi. She was steering the drell in front of her, the battered assistant's hands tied at the small of her back. She had tied the hanar's tentacles together as well in one big loop, and was using it like a leash to tug the hovering, cowed diplomat behind her. Its entire body was covered with what looked like a black cloth sack, rendering it blind.

"These are our _new best friends_," Shepard said bitterly as she gestured toward the thief to take them to the skycar. Liara reached her side.

"Shepard, are you all right? Your throat-"

Del self-consciously touched her tender neck, where the tazer leads had struck her, and shook her head. "It's nothing, we've got bigger fish to fry. C'mon, Tianlán, we need to move."

* * *

The C-Sec skycar took them immediately to the docking slip, where Bailey had arranged them a small transport. The _Normandy_, already undocked, was off after the shuttle.

Clustered in the transport's tiny cargo, the hanar was silent and motionless, Kasumi still holding its 'leash'. The drell sat quietly against one wall, both Liara and Javik with pistols loose but in hand. As the transport departed the Citadel, Del's omni-tool went off again.

_{Captain, the shuttle has docked with a small frigate that's flagged as the __**Conquistador**__. It's making a run toward the relay, but I've got the __**Starstruck**__ and a turian patrol moving in to intercept.}_

"If you fire on it _be careful_, only aim to disable! Keep it _out_ of the relay if you can. If not, follow it through-we can't afford to lose it. We're on a transport just leaving the Citadel now, and hopefully should be able to dock with you in a few minutes-…but _don't wait for us_. Keep that frigate in sight, that's your top priority."

_{Yes ma'am.}_

"I take it this is Ambassador Zymandis and his missing assistant," Liara said softly as Shepard lowered her arm. "Indoctrinated?"

"It claims not. From what it's told us, it's doing all of this of its own volition- because it believes the Enkindlers want them to serve the Reapers."

"What?"

"Yeah. Their government has knowledge that the Collectors are actually Prothean, and they've therefore concluded that if the Protheans serve the Reapers, then so should they." She rubbed her forehead. "Thane warned me about this. Told me that the hanar may not be so 'neutral' as they seemed. Looks like he was right- they wouldn't join our summit or take steps in this war because of this belief. I have no idea how many of them take stock in that twisted logic, but I'm afraid it may be a huge amount- the entire Illuminated Primacy, if nothing else."

"Goddess."

"Don't worry, I think I can address that little matter."

She stepped past Liara and crouched down beside the hanar. He was hovering only a foot or so off the ground, his tentacles pooled in a dejected heap beneath him. Gripping the bag over its body, Shepard drew it off.

"Zymandis, I need some more information from you."

"This one is your prisoner, but this one will not speak against its people," it said softly. "If Captain Shepard must torture this one, this one will still not speak."

"I'm not going to _torture_ you," Shepard said with a bitter frown. "I have someone I want you to meet. Javik, come here."

He moved to Shepard's side, crouching down as well. Shepard jabbed her thumb at him. "Zymandis, this is Javik. Do you know what he is?"

The hanar was silent a moment, its colors swirling first in confusion , then a chaos of recognition. "This one believes…this one believes he is a _Prothean_!"

"That is correct," Javik told it. "I am Prothean-"

"This one is not worthy! This one is not worthy to look upon an Enkindler!"

Javik looked at Shepard and she leaned over, whispering. "The hanar worship the Protheans as gods, Javik. They say that you uplifted them, gave them the power of speech."

"_Gods_?" Javik said in disbelief, shaking his head. "Hanar, you must listen to me closely-"

"This one will listen very closely to the Enkindler! This one is not worthy to receive his words!"

Javik grimaced. "Liara has told me about the ones you call 'Collectors'. Hanar, these are _not_ Protheans. No more than husks are humans, or turians, or krogan. The Reapers made them this way, made them abominations, mindless slaves that have nothing of _true_ Prothean left to them. A _true_ Prothean calls the Reapers enemies. A _true_ Prothean would fight with all his being _against_ the Reapers. You have been mislead."

"This is…this is alarming," the hanar said, clearly distressed. "This one is so ashamed! This one thought it was following what the Enkindlers would want! This one does not deserve to live, having disappointed the Enkindlers!"

"Zymandis, you made a _mistake_," Shepard told it, more than aware that the drell woman was also listening, tears falling silently down her cheeks. "And you've got the chance now to rectify it, to truly help your people. But I _need_ to know _what_ is being planned. Where would they take the Councilors?"

"They were only to take them to the shuttle," it said miserably. "Those on board would persuade them to their thinking, then allow them off on the _Starstruck_. Now…this one is not sure where their destination would be. This one expects they might retreat to Kahje."

"Good, we'll get hold of the Illuminated Primacy. Javik can talk to them, and we can-"

"This one is hesitant to say, but Captain Shepard will not be able to get communication to the Primacy," Zymandis said.

"Why not?"

"All off-world communication is filtered through the planetary defense grid. This one fears that the Tide controls the grid. This one knows that the Tide will not allow communications to get through to the Primacy."

"The Tide?" Shepard was beyond irritated. What was _this_ new bullshit?

The drell woman looked up at her, speaking softly. "That's what the hanar call it. I'm not entirely sure _what_ it is. I don't know that anyone outside of Cerberus does. The Tide is what blocked communication and the cameras on the Citadel-"

"The _hacker_?" Del asked intently. "It infiltrates even the most protected networks? Erases or alters information?"

"Yes," she said. "It…it is very _strange_, Captain. Extremely powerful and yet, it seems to have its limits as well- otherwise it would have been able to take over the entire Citadel rather than simply disrupt very small amounts of the integrated computer network. Either the Citadel computer systems are incompatible with its technology, or its source is too far away to properly infiltrate. I don't know."

"What else can you tell me about this 'Tide?' Anything?"

She shook her head, but Zymandis spoke up again. "This one's people believe the Tide is a life all of its own. This one's people believe the Tide cannot be stopped, like the motions of the seas. It will not allow us to speak to the Primacy, or to any on Kahje. If Captain Shepard approaches the planet, it will engage the planetary defense grid against her."

Shepard wiped a hand over her face, and rose, stepping back a few paces to stand near Liara. "What do you think?"

"If this 'Tide' as they call it, is _truly_ our mystery hacker, then it may very well be that it and Project Shiva are one and the same- or at least very closely related. If the drell's thoughts are correct, and the Tide was not able to further infiltrate the Citadel due to distance from its source…then it may serve that the source of the Tide is very close to Kahje."

Shepard nodded. "It would have to be, to infiltrate an entire planet's defenses. If it and Shiva are one and the same, _this_ may actually be that 'test run' Miranda mentioned."

"Precisely. Kahje is a fairly peaceful world and they have few enemies, but their defense grid is no laughing matter. Fully engaged, it could potentially destroy the _Normandy_ before we were even within orbit of their furthest moon."

"We've got to figure _something_ out. We can't leave Valern and Udina in hostile hands if we can help it, and more…I won't let an entire world full of people labor as slaves to Cerberus _or_ the Reapers. We have to help the drell and the hanar, and to do that, the Primacy _needs_ to talk to Javik."

Moving back over to the hanar, Shepard crouched again and reached out, untying the rope holding it hostage. "All right, Zymandis," she said with a stern glint in her eye. "Tell me _everything_ you know about Kahje's defense grid."


	49. Chapter 49

A/N: Still more left of canon. Will be a few chapters of this left so…hold tight!

* * *

Sitting shoulder to shoulder on one bench of the shuttle, both Valern and Udina were silent, heads bowed forward a little, hands bound in front of them. Valern's cowl had been hauled back, baring his head, and Udina looked pale and almost ill, his skin still damp with sweat.

Shortly after the shuttle had taken off, Udina had threatened and demanded, promising levels of retribution heretofore unknown unless they were released at once. In response, he had gotten an extremely solid fist to the face. Now, cheek and the side of his eye swollen and darkening, he wisely remained silent.

There were two in the shuttle with them, not including the pilot. They were dressed in hard-suits and helmets…broad, faceless walls of meat and metal. One, the one that had hit him, stood and simply watched them, holding a rifle. The weapon was lowered, not aimed at them, but Udina had no doubts that it could be lifted and fired in the space of a single sneeze, if necessary.

The second was leaning into the cockpit, speaking to the pilot. He couldn't hear what was said, on the faint, low cadence of voices, before the second fellow turned back to them.

Moving over in front of the pair, he crouched down. Udina, cheek still tender, nevertheless scowled. "You have no idea the pain you are in for. Captain Shepard will not allow you to keep us."

"The same Captain Shepard you consider an embarrassment, a shaved gorilla?" the soldier asked, voice a deep baritone behind his helmet. "The same Captain Shepard you just ignored on that landing pad, when she told you coming aboard this shuttle was a trap?"

Udina grit his teeth. "Yes. That _same_ Captain Shepard."

"You think she will come and get you? After everything you have done to her?"

"Shepard is still a Council Spectre and an Alliance officer," Valern said. "She will do her duty."

"Well then. Let's hope so," the soldier responded. Reaching up he unlatched his helmet, sliding it off. Udina recoiled slightly with a grimace, and the man smiled.

"Am I not pretty, Councilor Udina?"

He was human, big and bald as an egg. Unlike the altered troopers Shepard had seen on Mars, he didn't look quite so much like a husk- though clearly he had been altered in some fashion. His skin was paler than it should have been, thin lines almost like threads of metal spreading in elaborate designs over his temples. It took Udina a moment to realize they were actually emerging from the corners of his eyes to fan over his skin. Beneath the flesh, green light seemed to shimmer in patches, and the same hue was illuminated out through his eyes.

"You're an abomination," Udina said with low fury.

The man smiled, the expression almost gentle, gentile, and utterly serene. Removing his glove and laying it aside, the man took Udina's hand. Leaning back, the Councilor tried to pull his grip away but the second man pulled out his pistol and aimed it at his face in warning.

From beneath the first man's fingernails came the tiny threads, glimmering faintly a moment before they plunged into the veins of Udina's wrist. He jolted with a pained cry, a sound which only prompted another warm smile.

"Just let it happen, brother," the soldier said happily. "The worst is over."

Udina's eyes opened wide as he stared at nothing, tiny tendrils of green light crawling along under his skin. He blinked once, twice, a small tear edging its way down through the creases on his face.

Then, he began to smile.

Finally…he _understood_.

* * *

Despite the efforts of the _Normandy_ and the turian patrols, the _Conquistador_ managed to slip through the relay. It was followed only moments later by the Alliance Frigate, and less than sixty seconds after that by the transport carrying Shepard and her ground team.

They emerged from the far relay to find the _Normandy_ waiting for them, and the transport attached to the airlock long enough to transfer Del and the others back on board their ship, before it returned to the relay. Immediately, Shepard headed for the helm.

"Joker, report!"

"We're one system away from Kahje," he said. "The _Conquistador_ is continuing on a flat course, no deviation. We can leave this system, but the moment we get to the edge of the next, the hanar's defense grid is going to make our life interesting.

"How long at FTL will it take to get from here to there?"

"Two hours."

"Head us that way, but put a nice buffer zone between us and the defenses and hold."

"Will do."

"EDI," Shepard turned to the platform. "Get me the volus on the QEC and secure your network systems. I want you sealed up tighter than Udina's asshole. We have reason to believe the same hacker that took out the Broker network is infiltrating the hanar's defense grid."

"I have finished my analysis of the hacker's signature and protocols from the attempt on my systems," EDI told her. "I will be able to implement my new security parameters within the next hour. It will be difficult, and I shall have to dedicate a great deal of my run-time should any direct attack occur, but I am confident I will be able to prevent any infiltration into my systems or those of the _Normandy_."

"How much run-time?"

"90.2 percent," EDI said. "I will be able to maintain ship's vital systems without interruption, however I will not be able to engage my various warfare suites, nor will I be able to control the Sabre should it be needed."

"All right, understood. Get on it."

As she turned and walked toward the CIC, Del lightly touched Liara's arm. "Get Miranda, Wilcher, Garrus, and those two Thanatos engineers. Javik, Kasumi, you two go with her. Meet me in the conference room in twenty minutes. Haley! Find the Ambassador and his assistant some quarters but keep them under guard for now."

* * *

Shepard entered the conference room exactly twenty minutes later to find the others gathered as requested. Without preamble, she strode to the table and accessed the holographic interface, syncing it with her omni-tool.

"Here's what we have going on," she said. "Cerberus, with cooperation from the hanar, have taken Udina and Valern to Kahje. Their original plan was to indoctrinate them aboard the shuttle and release them on the _Starstruck_- apparently none the worse for wear- in order to sway the Council government toward their own agenda. It seems our interference has changed that plan. We have no way of telling at this point whether the Councilors are alive or dead, and if alive they most likely have still been indoctrinated."

"Yet we're going to try and get them back?" Miranda asked.

"We are. More importantly, however, we're going to try and get the _hanar_ back. According to Ambassador Zymandis, the hanar are voluntarily working for the Reapers because the Collectors do-they thought it was the will of the Enkindlers. Javik set it right, but that doesn't help the Illuminated Primacy or the rest of its people. Leaving Kahje in the hands of Cerberus is the same as leaving it to the Reapers. And that doesn't just mean the hanar; that means the drell also. I consider that far into the realm of _unacceptable_ losses. Our goal is to get Javik onto the home world, if possible, and have him address the Primacy. Only word directly out of the mouth of a true Prothean is going to change their minds."

"Can't we just contact the Primacy over the comm?" Wilcher asked.

"No, and that's where our next problem comes in," Shepard said. "According to Zymandis, the defense grid is under the control of what it calls 'the Tide'. It believes it is an extremely sophisticated, sentient AI program under Cerberus control."

"Our theory is that it may very well be Project Shiva, or an extension thereof," Liara said, and Del nodded.

"That's right. Apparently, this Tide is actually our mystery hacker. It was able to control some cameras and network communications systems on the Citadel but was unable to do more than that. Probably due to distance, which means the _source_ of this Tide is most likely on or very near to Kahje."

"So we have the hanar defense grid to deal with, a possible large Cerberus presence, and a super-hacking AI the likes of which we've never before seen," Wilcher said. "_Fantastic._"

"Shepard, if this 'Tide' is part of Project Shiva, than I am inclined to believe it is not the entirety," Miranda said. "Far more research went on in various Cerberus cells than just AI and hacking protocols. An AI 'hacker', even one this sophisticated, would not cover half the research that was poured into Shiva."

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid you'd say," Del replied, rubbing idly at her still red throat. "Which means we may be facing a complete unknown at Kahje as well, of which the Tide is only a small part."

"We can't be doing this with just one ship," Garrus said. "You're good, Shepard, and the _Normandy_ is top notch, but the hanar grid alone is nothing to sneeze at. We _need_ more firepower."

"The idea isn't to war with the hanar, nor destroy their grid completely," Shepard told him. "I don't want any more lives lost in this than necessary, and to decimate their grid would leave them completely vulnerable to the Reapers. But…you are right. Chances are this isn't going to go down pretty, and we're going to end up with some measure of heavy fighting. Along those lines, I've just spoken with the volus government. They are more than willing to dedicate a few ships to us, and they're already on their way. They're not the most militant navy but they do have some heavy hitters, and they have some strategies that may prove more than useful."

She selected an option on the interface, and a holographic impression of the Kahje system appeared over the table. Another touch, and various points along the system lit up, joined by bright lines. "All right. This is the defensive grid, as provided us by Zymandis. As you can see it extends the entirety of the system, and is made up of both floating satellite and station link points, as well as entrenched stations on various moons and asteroids. The inner grid, here, is the densest part of the network and the most seriously armed. The outer grid has automated defenses but is mostly for first-alert and communications filtering. We take down at least part of this outer grid, we can get communication through to the Primacy. Hopefully that's all that will be needed."

Javik squinted at the illustration, then pointed. "It would seem this would be the best location to infiltrate. If we can take out those three points there, it will present a sizable gap in the grid."

"It's also the furthest point away from Kahje itself," Garrus said, then shook his head. "It won't matter if we get a com through and the Primacy actually listens, but if they _don't,_ that's a hell of a long way to go through hostiles to reach the planet."

"If I may, Captain…" One of the Thanatos engineers-whose names Shepard could never recall- spoke up.

"Go ahead."

"There are four major connection points throughout the entire grid," he said, and highlighted them. "You said this Tide was infiltrating the communications network…if so, it's likely in the outer grid rather than the inner. If it's being transmitted or forwarded from a platform or base, then it would most likely be at or very near one of these four connection points."

"That's just speculation," Miranda said. "Without knowing the true nature of the Tide or how it functions-"

"Which we're not _goin_g to know in the next two hours. It's as good a theory as any other," Shepard said. "If this Tide is part of Shiva, the Illusive Man would want it to be mobile. A stationary platform, however defensible, is an easier target."

"Even if its source is not at any of these four locations, its transmission signal _will_ be. It has to connect to the grid somehow," the engineer said. "If we pinpoint that signal, we can trace it to its origin. My suggestion would be to send in a scout. Something small and fast."

"The Sabre," Liara said, lifting her brows. "EDI can program its VI to scan for the same transmission signature that infiltrated my network. It is small enough and fast, it stands a good chance of being able to get within scanning distance without setting off any alerts."

"What happens if that's not true?" Wilcher asked. "Like we've said more than once now: no one _really_ knows what this Tide _is,_ or what it can do. Could be it can pick up something the size of a credit, and we already know it can hack into computer systems with ease. What if it takes over the Sabre and turns it back on us? That's a wicked little fighter."

"If EDI can create protections against the Tide for herself and the _Normandy_, she can do the same for the Sabre," Shepard said. "We can disable the swarm before we launch, and if it shows the slightest action outside our control, we take it out. I agree with Liara; it's faster and less detectable than our shuttles or anything the volus are going to have. We can send it out to scout those connection points and maybe our problem will be solved even before reinforcements get here."

* * *

At Liara's insistence, Shepard paused shortly to have a quick meal –standing up over the mess counter, as it turned out- and reported to Chakwas to have the burns on her neck treated. Barely had Helen swabbed on the medi-gel than Del was out of the infirmary again, heading back to the CIC.

EDI reported she had completed securing her systems and was now working on the Sabre, when Jeff reported the first of the volus ships appearing, telling her that the captain of the foremost ship was hailing. Moving up to the promontory over the galaxy map, Shepard accessed the communication.

"This is Captain Shepard of the _Normandy_."

_{Captain Shepard, this is Provic Val Esca of the __**Esosco**__. It is an honor to speak with you.}_

"The honor is mine, Provic Esca. I am extremely thankful to the volus for-"

She broke off, staring at the zoomed portion of the galaxy map. Around the tiny blue blip that was the _Normandy_, more and more green blips were appearing as ships dropped out of FTL.

"Provic Esca, I am reading twenty ships so far entering normal speed on our flank and…_how many_ ships did you bring?"

_{Captain Shepard, you have at your disposal the entire Sesqualla 1__st__ Bombardment Fleet. We stand in number at forty artillery heavies, ready and awaiting your orders.}_

_Forty heavies?_ Shepard had been expecting maybe half a dozen, at most! For a second, she was actually speechless, blinking over at Traynor a moment before she cleared her throat.

"Provic Esca we…we were not expecting quite so many ships. This is...this is above and beyond, Provic. We are _extremely_ grateful to the Vol-Clan."

_{You are a friend to the Vol-Clan, Captain Shepard. We remember our friends. Permission to send a delegation to the Normandy to talk strategy?}_

"Permission granted, Provic."

As the communication was ended, Shepard stepped down from the promontory. Traynor eyed her a little. "When you make friends you _really_ make friends, don't you Captain?"

"So it seems," Shepard agreed, then stepped toward the lift, gesturing at Garrus as she went. The turian stepped in beside her, then shook his head as the doors slid shut.

"Humbles me, you know that?" he said. "Shames me a bit, too."

"What's that?"

"No one takes the volus seriously," he told her. "Yet here we are, in a war where _everything_ is at stake, and what happens? Take the stronger, more 'sophisticated' races- the salarians, the asari, even the turians-people who have been in control and so assured of their own superiority for millennia. You ask for their help and what do they do? Ask for favors, hem and haw and try and figure out what they can get out of _you_ first. You ask for help from the volus, and they don't ask for _anything_…they just come running with an entire bombardment fleet, ready and willing. Half the technology and fighting prowess of _any_ other species out there, and they come without so much as a _breath_ of hesitation. If everyone else in this sorry galaxy did the same, this war would _already_ be over."

* * *

The small volus shuttle docked in the cargo bay as Shepard and Garrus watched, disgorging a pair of passengers that immediately headed toward them.

Most volus, unless their suits were extremely distinctive in some way, were impossible for most other folk to tell apart- at least until they spoke. The instant she saw the first one walking toward her, however, Shepard knew without a doubt who it was.

"Yoh Etat," she smiled, bending slightly and offering her hand. "You do get around, don't you?"

"Me?" he asked with a pleased puff of his respirator. "If I were paranoid, Earth-Clan, I would think you were stalking me. I suppose it's too much to hope that-"

"No, I'm afraid Ash isn't on board," Shepard told him, smirking.

"Ah, well. A pity and a shame. I was so hoping to see her again. Ah, well. Oh, Captain, this is Vie Ivals. We will be acting as liaison between the _Normandy_ and the Vol fleet. She is the Sesqualla fleet's top engagement strategist."

"Pleased to meet you," Shepard greeted. The other volus half bowed a little.

"The same, Captain. Yoh has told me much about you."

"Doubtlessly he's told you more about Ashley Williams," she said with a teasing grin. "If you two will come this way, we have a lot to discuss in a short amount of time. Our AI EDI will be transmitting some suggestions for enhancing your firewall and network security protocols to the fleet."

"We are facing a cybernetic threat?" Vie asked.

"Yes, of a sort. An extremely advanced AI- or something very close to one- has taken over the hanar defensive grid. Its hacking ability is unprecedented, but its own attempt on our ship's computer was enough to prepare some countermeasures specifically tuned to its signals. It'll afford a buffer of protection, or at the very least an early warning system. It's not ideal but it's the best we can do at the moment."

"Understood. Now, what else are we facing?"

Shepard explained to her the entire situation as they entered the conference room, outlining everything they'd learned so far. "Right now, we have a small drone fighter reconnoitering the four most likely infiltration points on the defense grid. If we can pinpoint which specific area the Tide is linking to, we can hopefully locate the source and take it out."

"If not, hitting all four points simultaneously should open a wide enough gap in the outer grid to at least allow for communications," Vie agreed. "What if the hanar do not listen to your Javik via communications?"

"Then we'll have to find a way to get him on-world and in front of the Primacy-…not exactly the most ideal situation, and it will likely be our last ditch effort," Shepard said. "Because of the screening nature of the outer grid, we have no way of determining what ships or forces, if any, lay beyond it. The space between the two grids could be crawling with Cerberus frigates and fighters."

"In which case, we'll have one hell of a pitched battle on our hands," Garrus said.

"It is no laughing matter, but I think between our fleet and the _Normandy_ we can pacify whatever ships Cerberus may have on hand," Vie said confidently.

"Pacify with _extreme prejudice_," Yoh said in delight. Both Shepard and Vie gave him dry looks and he shrugged. "What?"

After a moment, Vie looked back at Del. "I will advise the Provic to hold the fleet on the _Normandy's_ flank for now, pending final intelligence from your fighter drone. Then, if need be, we'll maneuver ships into each of those four access locations and prepare to take them out."

Shepard nodded. "When you are done, I'd be honored if you'd come up to the CIC. Hopefully you can watch first hand as we take out the source of the Tide and get that communication through to the hanar."


	50. Chapter 50

A/N:

Sorry about the long delay between last chapter and this. My work computer has been very flaky and slow, causing me all sorts of issues. I now have a brand new one and can actually keep programs open and moving, so yay!

That said….((clears throat dramatically))

Space.

The final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship…uh, _Normandy_. Her continuing mission…_to fucking blow a lot of shit up! OORAH!_

Oh, and to get blue alien women. Green alien women are _so_ 1978.

* * *

Against the black of space, the small Sabre was sleek, fast, and almost invisible. As EDI's runtimes were mostly taken up with keeping her systems alert and locked against any cybernetic threat, the Sabre was running on its VI only. It could follow elaborate plotted courses and perform a dozen scan and defense protocols at once, but it could not make its own reactions. If something interfered with its programmed responses, or an unknown variable popped up, it had to be instructed and guided in the proper response.

It was neither wise nor feasible for Shepard to manually pilot the Sabre, and no one else aboard had any experience with it. Haley or Garrus might have been able to adapt to its unique helm quite quickly, but Del didn't want them in the cockpit for the same reason she didn't dare risk it herself. The Sabre was a secure as EDI could remotely make it- without interfering with her own defenses- but there was still a high risk the Sabre could be taken over by the Tide. If that happened, they'd have to take it out, and any pilot within would be first trapped, and then killed.

She'd rather lose a VI. Especially when she saw what VI it _was_.

Standing on the CIC, Shepard was surrounded on three sides by hovering holographic displays. They showed not only a dozen different reports from the Normandy and radar/ladar scans of the grid and the Vol fleet, they allowed her direct access to the Sabre VI to change its orders and monitor its progress.

As she accessed the VI, ready to start the fighter on its recon run, its mobile ghost-twin appeared beside her. Turning her head, Shepard blinked…and then scowled as she recognized her own face.

_Really, Wilcher? You had to use __**that**__ VI?_

"Ready and awaiting instructions," the VI said. Its voice had been fixed as well, now sounding exactly like her and not the nasally chipmunk it had before.

Glaring over the CIC she fixed the big Thanatos leader with a look. He shrugged at her with a faint grin, and went back to his own work.

She input the scan protocols for all four points on the grid, sending the fighter on its way. As it turned toward its first scan point, the VI remained at her side.

"Captain Shepard, the fleet is in position as you requested. They have received the cyber-security information your computer provided and are implementing protections now," Vie said her from nearby.

"Good, have them hold pattern. We're closing in on our first scan point."

"Captain, I am locked down and prepared for any infiltration attempts," EDI reported. "I am running at 89.15 percent capacity."

"Understood. Garrus, you ready on weapons? If things get hot, you're going to have to do the firing."

"I'm ready, Shepard."

A few feet away, both Liara and Traynor were standing at a pair of stations, shoulder to shoulder. While Shepard had the same displays in front of her for quick reference, Traynor was monitoring the Sabre's scans for transmission signals or any sign of gaps in the grid that would allow a communication to be sent to Kahje. Liara was helping her by monitoring all communications between the _Normandy_ and the fleet, and keeping an eye out for any other anomalous readings the Sabre might detect. With EDI drastically shackled in her attempts to keep the ship itself secure, they had to take up the slack.

"Approaching first scan point," the Del-VI said. "Scan initiating…scan complete."

"I am detecting no anomalous structures or signals at the scan point," Liara said.

"Confirmed," Traynor agreed. "Grid is solid, no communications window."

"EDI?" Shepard asked.

"There is no indication that the defense grid has reacted to the presence of the Sabre or its scan," EDI said.

"Good. Moving on to second scan point."

The second scan point preceded much as the first, with no new information to be had. The third scan point was not space-bound but centered on an asteroid that the hanar had stabilized in system orbit, using it as a base for grid remote equipment. As the Sabre initiated its scan, things suddenly got lively.

"Captain, I am detecting a signal interfacing with the grid array directly from this asteroid," Traynor said.

"Confirmed," Liara replied. "I have an anomalous structure 2.3 meters below the dust surface of the asteroid."

"Any reaction from the defense grid?"

"Negative," EDI said.

"The signal is unusual…I've never seen anything like it," Traynor said, her voice faintly wondering. She glanced to the side as Miranda drew up to her shoulder, glancing at the signal scan on her display.

"I have," she said tightly. "Del, it's extremely close to the same signal you encountered on Aite, _and_ the one from Horizon and the Collector ship-"

"The same signal the rogue AI was using?" Shepard asked.

Miranda looked at her tensely. "Partly. It's partly the same transmission signal that David used to take you over, _and_ the same signal that Harbinger used to communicate with you. I think you're right. I think we've found Shiva."

Liara, while maintaining a professional expression, could not completely hide the alarm from her voice. "Could the Tide be used to control Shepard?"

"No," Miranda said confidently. "We changed her nanite wireless programming to specifically prevent those two signals from influencing or commandeering them again. She's not at risk of that."

"You're sure?" Del asked.

"Bloody _positive_."

Shepard nodded. "All right, I'm going to bring the Sabre around for a second scan. Garrus, how close can I get without triggering the grid?"

"You should theoretically be able to get a second pass in about a hundred k closer without tripping the hanar's defenses, but without knowing the nature of that anomalous structure or what it can do, there's no telling."

"Vie, make sure the fleet is alert." Shepard looked up at the volus even as she plotted in the new scan course. The Sabre had continued on its already programmed path, and now had to be turned around to go back to 3.

"Alerting them now, Captain," Vie said.

"Course alteration and new scan protocols accepted," the Del-VI said. "Changing course now."

Everyone held their breath as the Sabre turned its course, heading back toward the asteroid. As it started its scan, Liara's eyes narrowed at her readouts.

"We've got a fairly clear image of the structure. Capturing data now. It appears to be about thirty meters in length-"

"Captain, we've got a new signal stream aimed directly at the Sabre!" Traynor interrupted.

"EDI!"

"Closing off all transmission with the Sabre now," EDI said, even as the ghost-copy of the AI began to waver. A breath before it disappeared, it turned its head and looked at Shepard, its form changing to green as a grin began to spread on its face.

Then it was gone, cut off by EDI as she isolated the fighter.

"Captain, the Sabre is turning toward the _Normandy_, powering weapons," Garrus reported.

"The hanar defense grid is activating," Liara added. "Mobile weapons are powering."

"Take out the fighter!" Shepard ordered. "Joker, draw us back from the defense grid and prepare for engagement!"

* * *

The fighter turned away from the looming gray ball of the asteroid, heading toward the sleek, shark-like shape of the _Normandy_. Weapons fire slashed through the blackness and the fighter danced easily out of the way, skipping past the ordinance like a child playing hopscotch.

Though its deadliest weapon, the swarm, had been deactivated before launch, the fighter still had a full set of guns. It opened fire as it darted in toward the frigate, its shot skipping off the _Normandy's_ barriers.

Another lance of light swept past toward the fighter, and as it turned out of the way, it ran into a third shot right in its path. There was a momentary flash of light as the small eezo core gave way, the Sabre dissolving into wreckage.

The automated guns- some satellite, others based on asteroids- began to hone in on the _Normandy_ and the Vol fleet. Meanwhile, alert signals were being transmitted to Kahje itself, activating the inner defense grid and any ships in orbit. One by one, over a dozen Cerberus vessels and nearly that many hanar or drell ships began to arm up, turning toward the outer grid and those ships that waited beyond.

Inside the _Normandy_, Garrus looked to Shepard. "The Sabre is down."

"The Tide signal has increased by forty-five percent," Traynor reported. "The defense grid is fully active and opening fire."

"Joker, evasive maneuvers!"

"The fleet is closing in around us, Captain," Vie told her. "I suggest hitting that asteroid and taking out that anomalous structure as quickly as possible."

"We cannot do that," Liara said with a shake of her head. "To bring the _Normandy_ or any other ship into firing range risks the Tide taking control of it as well, even with EDI's new security protocols."

"Not to mention we still don't know the true nature of that structure," Miranda added. "Taking it out could be almost worse than allowing it to function. Its destruction could cause feedback along the entire defense grid, cause a chain-reaction. A series of domino explosions would not only leave the hanar helpless but could take out half the system if we're unlucky."

"We need to-"

"Captain! The structure is moving! It's emerg- _it's firing_!"

Traynor's frantic voice cut Del off. Shepard heard Joker's muffled curse as the _Normandy_ suddenly swung to one side…then shuddered as if slammed by a hammer. Alarms immediately began to wail, shouts filling the air.

"Barriers down to 14%!"

"The _fuck_ did it hit us with?"

"I've got buckling along the starboard cargo but the hull is holding!"

"Shepard, I am operating at 95.6 percent. The Tide is attempting infiltration. If we sustain more damage I will not be able to hold my systems secure."

"We have eight hostiles closing in from hanar space, weapons powering!"

"Fleet is moving to engage!"

"Garrus!" Shepard's hands flew over her displays. "Target weapons on that equipment array on the asteroid and take it out!"

If they took out the array, a gap would form in the grid. If it were big enough, they could not only start getting communications through to Kahje, but perhaps they could break the signal hold and take out the Tide structure without creating a domino effect.

"Traynor, as soon as that array is out start transmitting to Kahje on all priority frequencies. Javik! Get down to the QEC with Zymandis. Vie-"

"The moment the grid goes down the _Esosco_ will bombard the structure," Vie said. "They are already moving in to strike position."

"Joker, bring us in to flank the _Esosco__**. **_Hit the structure when they do! Garrus!"

"Array targeted. Firing now."

* * *

The _Normandy's_ main gun slashed across the surface of the asteroid, ripping through the grid equipment like a hot knife through butter. It tore apart, billows of gray dust and dirt from the rock floating upward in hanging clouds. As the array collapsed, part of the defense grid powered down. Like a looming leviathan, the _Esosco_-easily five times the size of the Alliance frigate-closed in and began its heavy bombardment run.

Almost at the same moment, the incoming hostile ships reached the edge of the system and began to engage the fleet.

As if it were driving the pistons of some enormous machine, the _Esosco_ released salvo after salvo at the asteroid. Each explosive round was the size of a transport shuttle, accelerated to almost the speed of light. Under that volley alone the entire asteroid was soon breaking apart, shredding like paper under pistol fire- but they weren't alone. The _Normandy_ had moved in, and swept over the crumbling debris with her main gun, ensuring that nothing larger than a pebble would be left behind.

Then something sailed out of the clouds of debris, latching on to the volus ship.

* * *

"Captain, something is happening to the _Esosco_! Communications are down!"

Sweeping away her current screens, Shepard pulled up an external scan feed that showed the volus ship. Fire was blooming along its length as it yawed wildly. Something lashed over its surface a moment and a wild thought swept over her mind.

It was like watching a whale being drawn down by an enormous octopus.

Then a tell-tale blue flash, and even before Miranda could shout out that the eezo core was going critical Del was lifting her voice frantically.

"_Joker! Get us out of here!"_

The _Normandy_ turned and ran as the core on the _Esosco_ went critical, the massive bombardment ship ballooning out, and then vanishing in a brilliant flash of light.

"C-Captain, QEC is registering a successful transmission to Kahje," Traynor reported breathlessly a few moments later.

"Thank fuck for that," Shepard said, then looked at Miranda. "Any survivors on the _Esosco_?"

"With EDI at capacity our scans our limited," she reported. "Add into that the dark energy interference and I can hardly make heads or tails out of these readings. Some pods may have jettisoned but it's impossible to know for sure."

"If pods jettisoned they should be all right for several hours," Vie reported, her voice schooled expertly, despite the fact her commanding officer, crew, and ship had just been decimated. "An explosion of that size should have taken out the ship's attacker as well."

"We can't do much about it now, we still have a hell of a firefight going on out here. Miranda, continuous scans for any signs of that hostile or any lifeboats. Joker, let's get into that fight and make sure we don't lose anyone else. Hopefully the hanar actually listen to the message and pull off their hostiles, but I'm not banking on Cerberus doing the same."

* * *

Despite the number and aggressiveness of the Cerberus ships- even before the hanar ships pulled away- they were no match for thirty-nine full volus bombardment ships and the _Normandy_. They lost no one else, their allies sustaining only minimal damage before the last of the Cerberus fleet turned tail and ran. The hanar had only engaged briefly, and when they suddenly fell back toward the inner grid, Shepard felt a surge of relief.

It seemed their message had gotten through.

Still, it was with cautious hesitation that she ordered the _Normandy_ to pass through the gap in the outer grid.

The hanar ships were now in parallel orbit to the outermost of their moons. Joker drew the _Normandy_ to a halt at a respectful distance, and opened a com channel.

"This is Captain Shepard of the _SSV Normandy_," she said. She was standing at the promontory, half the screens she had been using before now powered down. Her hands gripped the edges of the railing, the silence in the CIC almost physical. "Our weapons are off-line and we are here with peaceful intentions. Please respond."

Behind her, the lift doors opened, Javik and Zymandis entering the CIC. Shepard didn't even glance around.

Traynor, her eyes fixed to her station, suddenly nodded and looked up toward the Captain, a voice filling the air almost simultaneously.

_{This one is Maetolis, in command of the Illuminated ship, __**Nevarre**__. This one extends its greetings to Captain Shepard. The Illuminated Primacy would like to invite Captain Shepard to Jae'dann. This one will escort the __**Normandy **__with all honor.}_

There was a collective sigh around the CIC, and Shepard nodded. "The honor is ours, Maetolis. The _Normandy_ shall follow your lead."

As the hanar ship fell in at the _Normandy_'s side, Shepard stepped back. "Vie, please tell the Vol fleet to hold where they are. Liara, Javik, Traynor- Yoh, if you'd like-you're with me."

"_Me_, ma'am?" Traynor looked floored.

"That's what I said. Haley, get the drell out of lockup and make sure Cortez has the shuttle ready. Miranda, you've got the ship until we're back. Start going over that data we collected and see what repairs we need."

As Shepard walked away, Traynor looked at Liara, still wide-eyed with surprise. The asari smiled gently back at her, inclining her head a moment before she turned to follow the Captain.

* * *

Jae'dann was a small island city on the southern hemisphere of Kahje. Of course, any cluster of population above the surface was more or less a 'small island city', as the planet was essentially one vast tropical ocean. The hanar had much larger, far more sprawling cities beneath the waves, but most of these were completely inaccessible by anyone other than the hanar. One or two were domed with an atmosphere but they were the exception more than the rule.

Earth had a pair of domed underwater cities as well- Poseidon in the Atlantic, and Serenity in the Indian Ocean. Shepard had never been to either one. As she stepped off the shuttle and onto the marble walkway, she idly thought that she would someday have to go.

Provided they still existed, of course.

The rich scent of sea air was all pervasive, a cool breeze filtering through wide trees and broad-leaf decorative plants. The landing pad was at the end of a small peninsula on the island, and all around them was the flat ocean the color of cobalt.

A tiered marble staircase moved downhill from where they were, then across to a large, cathedral-like building. She had been told this was a Common- sort of like a parliament building back on Earth- where the Primacy would meet.

As Liara stepped off the shuttle she lifted her head and took a few deep breaths, pleasure on her face. Javik's expression was a little more sour, and he blinked wildly at the bright sunlight.

"Come, this way," Zymandis urged, not hesitating as it headed for the stairs. Clusters of hanar were waiting along its length, their colors fluctuating eagerly.

"It's so beautiful here," Traynor said as she followed them down the steps. She still wasn't entirely sure why she'd been asked along, but she was hardly going to complain. It felt like she hadn't set foot off the _Normandy_ or the Citadel in years. Being planet-side, in fresh air and sunlight- it felt like heaven. Yoh, walking close at hand, looked around with a nod.

"Yes, it is bright…but very beautiful. The second most beautiful thing I have ever seen, actually."

"Oh? What is _the_ most beautiful thing you've seen?"

His smile was evident in his voice. "Have you yet had the pleasure of meeting Ashley Williams?"

"The captain's friend? No, I don't think-"

"Remind me to tell you about her."

"Uh…all right?"

She looked at Shepard, a bit baffled. Del just rolled her eyes.

As they continued down, the clustered hanar parted in front of them. They said nothing, but the eager energy in the air was fairly intense. Javik only seemed to grow more bitter under the weight of it, and when one reached out and lightly brushed his arm with a tentacle, he whirled around with a glare.

"This one is sorry," the hanar said in fright, drawing back a little. "This one only wished to honor one of the Enkindlers-"

Shepard gripped Javik's arm and shook her head. "Let it go. It didn't mean any harm."

Javik glared, but said nothing, turning away from the hanar and continuing down the steps.

It was not just the hanar, but the drell as well, who stared. A pair were waiting at the bottom, holding the doors of the Common open, and their stares were unabashed as the _Normandy_ party went past and through.

The interior of the building was beautiful, blue and green stone and metal inlaid into the ceiling to give the impression that it was underwater. Everything was colored with lapis, or mint, or bronze.

Several hanar were clustered on a small platform at the center. Looming over them, hands lifted skyward, was a statue. Vague in its detailing it nevertheless was clearly bipedal, a large, triangular head giving no doubt it was supposed to be a Prothean. As Javik saw it his jaw tightened again, and he looked downward.

Shepard halted a few feet away from the grouped hanar, lowering her head respectfully.

She was completely ignored.

Two of the hanar immediately drifted downward, heading for Javik. "You are an Enkindler," one said, tentacles reaching out. Javik flinched back a little, frowning, before he held his ground.

"I am Prothean," he replied.

"This one and its people have received your communication. This one and its people stopped the attack on the human ship and the vol fleet. This one and its people would like to know what you desire of us. Your will is our order."

Javik, incredibly discomfited, looked at Shepard for a way out. "I wish you to do whatever Shepard says," he told them quickly. Shepard stiffened as they all turned toward her, and gave Javik a baleful glance.

Liara lightly touched her back, and Shepard cleared her throat. "Members of the Primacy, we wish only a treaty with the hanar. You have been lied to by Cerberus, deceived by the example of the Collectors. The Collectors are no longer true Prothean. The Reapers are the enemies of the true Protheans, and we must all stand up against them."

"We are greatly grieved by our weakness in falling for deception," a second member of the Primacy said. "We thought we were following the will of the Enkindlers."

"We are more than happy to ally with you, Captain Shepard, if it is the will of the true Enkindler. Our ships and resources are yours."

"Thank you. I would ask for your knowledge as well. I need information on what Cerberus wanted here, and anything you know regarding the Tide."

Though they had no eyes or even recognizable faces, the hanar somehow managed to exchange troubled looks.

"We will tell the Captain what we know," the first replied at last, its voice grim. "However, we are aggrieved to know that the Captain will not like what we tell her."


	51. Chapter 51

A/N:

I have been asked by various people if I have A) heard of the new downloadable content Leviathan and B) if I intend to play it and include it in DE.

The answer is yes, I have heard of it, and I don't know, I'm not sure.

Right now it is sadly not my intent to provide Bioware with any additional money in the wake of the fiasco over the endings. My intentions may change at a later date but Bioware is going to have to prove that the promises they make in regards to their products are actually being kept. It's not so much that the endings were hideous and badly written (they were). It's not so much that they had an attitude that it was the fans' fault they didn't 'get' the endings or didn't like them and that we were just pests they had to shut up. More, it's the fact that blatant promises were made (we will not pigeonhole you into an A,B, or C ending) and were completely broken. I see it as any other product. If product A claims to clean lime off my faucets without damaging the chrome or plastic, and it does in fact damage the chrome or plastic without cleaning the lime at all…I have the right to be upset and no longer give money for their products.

Leviathan will, in fact, be a product I feel disinclined to provide money for.

So, what will likely happen is this: I will not buy the DLC but will probably watch the YouTube videos. If it is extremely well done and fits in with MY altered endings (and with my loose plot for DE4 and DE5) then yes…I will likely include it. If it's good but runs exactly contrary to my current plans, then I probably won't include it…and if I do, it will probably be changed to fit in to my plans.

If its garbage, then it won't be included and I won't have spent another ten dollars of my money on garbage.

For now, uber shmexy warning! Muahahaha!

* * *

Shepard's headache began almost the moment the Primacy representative- his name was Verdarys- began speaking. By the time he was halfway through, the headache had grown claws and teeth, and gleefully started scratching around deep inside her skull.

They had been escorted into a smaller room with a table. The three from the Primacy were there, as well as a few drell and Zymandis. Shepard's entire team was there as well, Javik standing moodily in one corner, eyes unfocused as he did his utmost to turn into a statue.

Shepard had started off standing, but now she sat, swamped in her headache.

"How many?" she asked during a lull.

"This one regrets to say, two hundred," it replied.

Her eyes smoldered as she looked up at it. "You _allowed_ this to happen to two hundred of your people?"

"This one's people thought they were-"

"They were doing the will of the Enkindlers, yeah…I got that part," Shepard said with a glare.

"They were volunteers, Captain. They were not coerced," a drell said.

"Where are they now?"

"Fifty remain on Kahje," the drell told her. "They are being rounded up now. The rest were called off-world by Cerberus."

"This one and its people were not told where they were to go," Verdarys said sadly.

"And this was not the Reapers' doing, you are certain?" Liara asked.

"No, this was exclusively the Tide," the drell replied.

"What's your name?" Shepard asked. The drell blinked at her.

"I am Heyyd."

She rose and began pacing a little, rubbing the corners of her eyes a bit. _Fucking squid and frog-men and their goddamn backwards religions-_

"Tell me _exactly_ how this happened. The process, I mean. Did you see it in action?"

"Yes," Heyyd replied. "The volunteers were led to the men from Cerberus. A hand or a tentacle was taken, and small silver threads would emerge from the fingers of the human and enter the skin of the recipient. Then, they were changed."

"Changed how?"

He shook his head, at a loss to describe it. "They became…green. Well, not entirely green- but lights, under their skin. Following the vascular system. In the drell, their eyes began to glow a little. The hanar's speech patterns changed."

Shepard fixed him with a look. "It sounds like direct physical indoctrination to me…sort of like how they make husks with dragon's teeth."

"Yes," Liara said with soft horror, looking at Del. "More, it sounds similar to what happened to you, when David took you over. There were lights in your body that followed your cardiovascular system, and then your eyes began to glow; green, as is happening here."

"More proof that this is your 'Project Shiva'," Yoh said. Verdarys immediately moved forward a little.

"Yes. This one agrees. This one has heard the one that controls the Tide is called Shiva."

Shepard turned, moving back to the table and leaning on her palms. "You're sure? Can you tell me anything _else_ about Shiva?"

"This one only knows what Cerberus told it," it replied. "This one knows that the Tide was meant to protect us from the Reapers, that they would not be able to harm Kahje with the Tide as sentry. This one knows that the Tide was controlled by one named Shiva. That is all this one can tell the Captain-"

"Damn you, is it a _program_?" Shepard demanded angrily. "Is it a _person? What is it?"_

Liara reached out to place her hand over Del's, only to have Shepard straighten and snatch it away without even looking at her.

"Captain, we truly do not know," Heyyd said, holding up his hands. "However, there may be a way to get your questions answered. We have the small Cerberus team you were pursuing. They landed on Kahje at Rialfia not an hour before your began your attack on the grid. They have been detained and are being brought here."

Shepard stiffened. "The Councilors are with them?"

"To my understanding, yes. And both alive. They should be landing soon, but…"

As he grew hesitant again, Shepard glared. "_But…?"_

"All four are under the influence of the Tide."

* * *

As they were escorted across the island to where the Councilors and their captors had been taken, Liara walked worriedly at Del's side, silently doing her best to comfort with her presence alone, as any attempt to touch her was quickly brushed off. Traynor, looking hesitant, nevertheless hurried a few paces to fall in at Del's other side.

"Captain, if I may…if what Heyyd described regarding the threads and the way the volunteers were 'altered' is true, then I believe that what he observed was, in fact, an insertion method designed to introduce a flood of nanites into an organic system. I don't think it's so much that their _minds_ are indoctrinated, as the nanites are just being controlled, and the sentient mind pushed to the background."

"So, it really _is_ like what happened with me and David. My mind was still free, it was just…locked up a bit, while he had control of my body. What does that mean for the situation, exactly?"

"It means we have hope," Liara said, following Traynor's line of thought. "Unlike Reaper indoctrination- which seems to include a fundamental alteration in the brain's very code, causing the conclusions it reaches to be those desired by the Reapers-the nanites simply allow them to become remote control puppets, directed by Shiva but with no change to the biological brain itself. Were Shiva to be destroyed or rendered incapable-"

"Then there would be nothing to control the nanites," Traynor concluded with a nod. "The organic mind would regain control of their own faculties. I-In _theory_, anyway. Once again, without knowing exactly what we're dealing with, it's impossible to say for sure."

Shepard frowned broodily, remaining silent until they stepped through a door and into a small chamber. Within, two human men were shackled and on their knees. Nearby sat Valern and Udina, their own wrists cuffed to the chairs they were in. A small guard of armed drell were watching over them.

All four of the prisoners had eyes that were glowing green, similar patches of luminescence shifting like slow water under their skins.

Almost the moment Shepard walked in, all four looked at her, and smiled with creepy synchronicity. It was the same smile the Del-VI had given her just before it had been cut off, the Sabre destroyed.

When they spoke, it was also in unison, and Del could feel the small hairs at the back of her neck and on her arms lift in response.

"Captain Delilah Spruce Shepard, service number 5923-AC-2826, Butcher of Torfan, first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, Destroyer of Bahak-"

"That's enough," she said sternly. The bemused smiles continued, but now they took turns speaking.

"Don't like your accomplishments?"

"Or is it your name?"

"Silver Delilah Spruce-looks rather like a toilet brush, doesn't it?"

"Couldn't pick anything better than that, _Delilah_?"

"Who are you?" This was said angrily by Liara, as she half-stepped in front of Del. "What do you want?"

"I am Shiva."

"I am pretty sure you already knew that."

"Unless you're as fucking stupid as the _other_ squid-heads."

This last sentence had the misfortune of coming out of Udina's mouth. Shepard pushed past Liara and strode up to him, snatching hold of him by the neck.

"Del!"

"You listen to me, you _fuck_," Shepard said with cold hate. "Tell me where you are. Tell me where I can find your _ugly fucking mug_ and I'll put a _fucking bullet in it."_

Udina grinned, his voice rough thanks to the grip she had on his throat. "This one was right. You _are_ nothing but a shaved gorilla, a trained meat-head who solves every problem by hitting it."

He pressed tighter against her hand, baring his teeth as his eldritch eyes glared into her own. Around his temples and eye-sockets, the web of tiny silver thread glistened against his skin. Her other hand was clamped over his on the arm of the chair, and as he spoke, she could hear a faint ticking over her pads. Glancing down, she noticed the thin threads had emerged from his fingers. Like the brush of exploring spiders, they were tapping along her hard-suit's arm pad, looking for a way in.

"Go ahead, put a bullet in his head. That's what you do best, isn't it? Execute the helpless, the unarmed? Don't pretend you don't want too. Udina's been asking for it from the start, hasn't he? If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even _be_ in this mess."

Shepard's teeth grit almost audibly, and then she dropped her hand from his throat, stepping back. The derisive, mocking laugh once more issued from all four throats.

"_Coward_. You are now and will ever be nothing more than a coward, Delilah Spruce."

Del looked at Hayyd. "Lock them up and don't let anyone tend to them that isn't armed and in full armor. A patch of bare skin may be all they need to 'indoctrinate' someone else."

"You don't want to-" he began, but her glare snapped his mouth shut.

"I've got all I need to know from _them_," she said. "Thank the Primacy. We're returning to our ship. Some of the Vol-Fleet will remain to help repair the damage we caused to the grid and to help secure against Cerberus returning. Alliance Command will also be in contact with them later. For now I have work to do."

"Goodbye, Butcher of Torfan!" the quartet of voices chortled as she strode out. "It was grand to finally meet you!"

* * *

The soft chime at the door to the Nest was almost lost in the roar of Del's headache. Sitting cross-legged on her bed in her yoga pants and a black tank, a scattering of data pads in front of her, the hollow-eyed captain didn't even glance up at the first friendly chirp, nor the second.

It was only when the door actually slid open that her gaze lifted in surprise, eyes focusing a bit more. Liara appeared, brows knit, and Del looked back down at the pad in her hand before she tossed it in front of her on the mattress, rubbing a hand over her face.

"Sorry, I didn't-…what's up, Liara?"

"What is up?" Liara asked, coming down the steps and crossing the room. "What is up is that it is nearly midnight ship-time, and you were going to meet me for dinner three hours ago. What is up is that you did not hear two door chimes just a moment ago, and look as if you haven't slept in a month."

Despite her words, her tone did not sound angry or chastising, only deeply concerned. They were still in system orbit around Kahje, and would be until the buckling to the hull was repaired- until they knew what their next move was.

"I'm sorry, Li, I'm just…" She sighed, lowering her head and raking her hands back through her hair. She felt the mattress shift a little as Liara moved up onto the bed. A moment later, soft fingers slid over her shoulders and began to gently dig in.

"You are tense beyond belief," Liara told her. "Your shoulders are like rock."

"Hmm," Shepard said noncommittally, picking up another one of the data pads and looking at it. "I've been going over that final scan from the Sabre, the one that showed the structure."

"The structure was destroyed with the _Esosco_," Liara said, still massaging as she did her best to try and get Del to relax. "You do not need to worry about it now."

"That's just it, it may not have been," Shepard replied. "We've got a faint infrared from just milliseconds before the core went up that shows something hitting FTL. Whatever it was-Shiva, or some kind of a mobile relay station- it booked out of there before it could be caught in the explosion."

"Which is troubling- but there is _nothing you can do about it right at this moment_," Liara said. Her thumbs traced along Del's spine, pressing in expertly. "You _need_ to relax. Take your mind off of everything. You need sleep-"

"Sleep. I can't fucking _sleep_. I haven't been able to sleep in _years_, it feels like."

The data pad thumped down again. Leaning closer, Liara let her lips brush over the side of the human woman's neck. "I will help you," she whispered.

To her relief, Del did not throw her off or spurn her. Instead, she turned her head, peering at the asari through a mussed fall of her short hair, a weary grin on her face. "Oh yeah?"

Liara kissed the crest of her shoulder again, then moved back. "Come. Lie on your stomach, top off."

Del moved to obey, peeling off her tank top and throwing it aside as she did so. Liara scooped up the data pads and set them neatly on the bedside stand before shifting to straddle Shepard's legs. Like liquid fire, the crimson and gold of the tattoo rippled and shifted beneath Liara's hands, as if the bird had come to life.

She worked diligently, seeking out every tension point, every tight muscle, and working them away. After a few moments, her fingers lit up faintly blue, her biotics helping to warm the skin a little and aid the knots into unraveling. Del's faint groan of approval testified to its efficacy.

As she reached Del's lower back, just above the wings of her pelvis, Liara's eyes shifted to black and she reached out with her spirit. Del's entwined with it as if falling into comforting arms, and through their connection, Liara could feel every remaining ache and point of tension that she had not yet relieved, allowing her to pinpoint and soothe them.

She could also feel the draining weariness, the almost vacuum-like pull of exhaustion that seemed to tug on every atom. Winding Shepard's mind with comfort, she found the worries and tensions and taut mental strings and soothed them away as well, a sort of spiritual massage as well as a physical one.

As her hands slid back up the tattoo, Del suddenly shifted, turning and catching hold of the asari, pulling her down until she lay pinned beneath her. Deepening their bond, Liara made no move of protest or resistance, and soon they had fallen into familiar heated rhythms, the rest of their clothes long discarded. As the final euphoria slowly died away around them, Del looked down into Liara's eyes, the asari slowly loosening the fists that were still tangled in locks of black hair.

"I'm…I'm writing you a song," Del said after a moment, her voice a shaky whisper.

Liara, her own gaze still black with the Joining, searched her face a moment. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Del replied. Her hand lifted, her fingertips lightly tracing Liara's face. "I would write you every song in the galaxy, if I could."

"Del…"

"I can't get the end quite right though. I just…I keep trying, but I just can't figure out the end."

Leaning up a little, Liara kissed her, then drew her down. As Del lay her head on Liara's shoulder, the asari wound her arms around her, still gently stroking her hair.

"The end will come when it comes," she said gently. "Rest. I am here."

She maintained the Joining, even as Shepard's breath evened out and slowed, the tides of her mind and thoughts and feelings unfocusing and then sagging into sleep. Staying awake, Liara held her, watching the stars above and passing through only feelings of peace and love.

Some hours passed, the longest untroubled length of sleep that Shepard had managed in quite a while. Then, as Liara herself began to doze, the calm shade of Del's slumber began to twitch, and then grow spines. The spines sharpened with alarming speed and Liara had only started trying to soothe them when Shepard jolted awake, a faint gasping breath puffing over Liara's collar bone as she lifted her head.

"Del, shh…it's all right," Liara whispered as the human pushed herself up a bit, staring around the room in taut panic. Then she slumped a little in recognition, raking a hand over her hair before she started to sit up.

"No." Liara tightened her grip, urging the woman to lay down with her again. "Just relax. You don't need to jump up. What was it? Tell me."

"Just a fucking dream," Shepard mumbled, but did lie down again, holding Liara tightly.

"I know, but what was it about? What did you see?"

"I was…I was on Earth. I was in the harbor. I watched the little girl in the shuttle…watched the Reaper shoot it down again. Then, it wasn't the harbor any more. I was in the open sea, the water was frigid and…up in the sky it was-"

Liara tenderly brushed a hand over her hair, and when the silence lasted more than a second or two, lightly prodded. "The sky was…?"

"It was…_rippling_. With dark energy, I think. A great surging wall of dark energy that ate up the sky, tearing it apart. And then something came out of the ocean beneath me…a huge mouth that stretched a mile all around me, lifting out of the waves. That's…that's all."

At Del's abrupt waking, Liara had lost her hold on the bond. She reinitiated it now, eyes once more switching to obsidian. Feeling the asari's spirit brushing against her own, Shepard blinked tiredly. "What are you doing?"

"You are going to show me your dream," Liara said. "And then you are going to go back to sleep."

Shepard's being hardened until it might as well have been metal. "No, I can't…I can't get back to sleep, not now, I-"

"Del, you are killing yourself with exhaustion," Liara told her. "Let me help you. _Please_, love."

The metal wall wavered. Shepard took a shuddering breath, then nodded as the barrier crumbled. Liara didn't hesitate, unsure if Del would try and resist her again. Their two minds entwined again, and Liara moved deeper into the Joining until the room around them faded away completely.

Shepard's memory of the dream returned. In the distance, all around them, Liara could hear a thousand voice speaking in whispers. Some just cried and wailed. Others said words that were just faint enough to be unintelligible. Some of the voices were familiar, others not. She thought she could make out Wrex, Ashley, Traynor, Mordin- even her own. Grown voices, children's voices, hard voices that did not seem to even be organic, somehow.

There was the harbor. Liara floated beside Shepard in the frigid water, watching helplessly as the shuttle was destroyed. Wrapping her arms around the human woman, Liara tucked her lips in close to her ear. "I am here," she said repeatedly. "I love you, and I am here."

The sky was alive with dark energy, the very fabric of reality seeming to bend and warp and then tear beneath it, as the enormous mouth began to rise from the sea foam in every direction.

Liara closed her eyes tight, and a breath later it was all gone. She and Del stood on a silent beach, white sand beneath their feet. They could not see the ocean from here, but they could smell it. There was no sound of waves, no sound of whispering…no sound at all save their own breathing, their own heartbeats.

Del hugged her tightly and then drew her down. The sand vanished for blankets, the blue sky for the stars outside of Del's viewport. Shepard took a shuddering breath, and faint warmth dropped on Liara's neck. Shifting, she kissed the tears away and nodded her understanding.

"Just sleep now," she said. "I will not let you face any more of these nightmares alone."


	52. Chapter 52

A/N: Still oh so left of canon :)

* * *

The rest of the night, such as it was, did not pass untroubled. Though Liara made every attempt to keep the nightmares at bay, Shepard woke twice more, going from untroubled slumber to panicked awakening with alarming speed. Each time, Liara shared the nightmare with her, and urged her back to sleep, not allowing her to get up or dwell overmuch on the dreams.

Even so, it was easy to see why Shepard was tormented by them. Though each dream was different, there were always common elements. Something being torn apart by dark energy. The feeling of death, foreboding, futility, helplessness. She knew that the last was what truly troubled Del. The woman feared very little, but feeling helpless was something that Shepard had never handled well.

Finally, she managed to get Shepard asleep again, and after half an hour, feeling her own exhaustion, she dozed off as well. When she woke just past 0700, Shepard was no longer in the bed. Sitting up, Liara looked around the silent Nest. There was no sign of the human woman, nor could she hear the shower running.

Though she knew it would have been impossible for Del to have another nightmare and not wake her, part of her feared that was exactly what had happened. Rising and gathering her things, she stepped into the bathroom and took a swift shower, before dressing and heading for the lift.

Stepping off into the busy mess, she nearly ran into Nan.

"Oh! Li, I' m sorry. I was just heading upstairs to get you."

"Is something the matter?" Liara asked.

"No, not at all. Del just asked me to go wake you. You all right, sweetheart?"

"I am fine, Nan," Liara said reassuringly. "Is Del in the CIC?"

"No, she went into the battery to talk to Garrus I think. See if you can nail her down- I don't think she's eaten just yet and knowing her, she won't until supper unless she's forced."

Liara nodded, crossing the mess and heading toward the battery. As the door slipped open, she could hear both Garrus and Del. They were not arguing, but they were speaking with an odd intensity.

"-going to cause issues," Garrus said.

"_What_ issues?" Del asked.

"This is an Alliance ship, Shepard-"

"This is a _Spectre_ ship so long as I'm in charge. Besides, what is it you think the Alliance is going to do? Discharge me? Court-martial me? Find someone else to broker their treaties and rally the other species?"

There was a pause, then Shepard spoke again. "C'mon, Garrus. I _need_ you, man. Don't lose your nerve now."

Stepping around the equipment bank, Liara walked toward the pair, a look of puzzlement on her face. Garrus was looking at the floor, clearly brooding. Shepard had her hands planted on her hips as she scowled at the turian. Unconsciously Liara noted the small changes in her that the previous night had wrought. She still looked tired, but no longer seemed about to drop with sheer exhaustion. The dark hollows around her eyes had faded into gray, and there was an energy about her that had been lacking for the last several days.

Seeing motion, Del glanced over and smiled as she saw her. "Good, someone else on my side. Liara, smack some sense into him."

Garrus looked at Del dryly and Liara half smiled, inclining her head. "It is unlike you to lack sense, Garrus."

"Thank you," he said. "Del doesn't seem to agree."

"In this case, no, I don't," Shepard told him.

"Shepard wants me to be her XO," Garrus said. Liara lifted her brows.

"Oh? That is a wonderful idea, Garrus. I take it you do not agree?"

"I just don't want there to be any division among the crew," Garrus said. "And I don't want Shepard possibly facing censure because she's put a non-human as second-in-command on an Alliance vessel."

"_Spectre_," Shepard said insistently.

"Why not Miranda?" Garrus asked. "She was your XO before."

"When this was a Cerberus ship," Liara said. "Miranda is not with Cerberus any more, but she is still on record as such with the Alliance. That _would_ cause issues, and a public outcry, considering what Cerberus is doing. I have to agree with Del, Garrus. You are the best choice for XO."

Del smirked at Garrus, gesturing at Liara as if to say, 'you see?' The turian folded his arms, unrelenting.

"And who will take care of my work in the battery?"

"God, you are a _fucking stubborn man_," Shepard said. "Vie has gone back to the fleet but Yoh asked to stay on board. He'll take over the work in here."

"Is he qualified?"

"Gosh, I didn't check," Del said with taut sarcasm. "Jesus, Garrus! You think that I would put someone in charge of the _Normandy's_ battery that _wasn't qualified_?"

"No, I just…"

"You haven't been in any kind of command since Omega," Shepard said. "I get it, Garrus. I do. That kind of shit haunts you. _Believe me_, I understand. But I need you. You're being wasted hiding down here in the battery. The crew likes and trusts you. You _need_ to get back in that saddle."

His mandibles flapped faintly as he thought a moment, then sighed. "All right."

Shepard grinned and nodded. "I knew you'd see reason."

"No, I just hate seeing you beg. It's a bit pathetic."

She punched him in the shoulder. "Keep that up and you'll be scrubbing latrines instead, Vakarian. Get up to the CIC. Your lazy days down here are over. I'm going to expect some _work_ out of you now."

Liara smiled, folding Garrus's hand in both of hers. "Congratulations, Garrus."

"Thanks Blue," he said with a smile. Then he ducked in close to her ear and whispered, "I don't know what you did to her last night, but she seems almost like herself again. Thank you."

Liara felt her cheeks heat a little, nodding as he straightened and headed out of the battery. Almost immediately, an arm slid around her waist, and Del turned her and pulled her close. "He is a goddamn awful stubborn fuck, isn't he?"

"He learned from the best," Liara teased lightly, gratified at the laugh and lopsided grin she received in response.

Lifting a hand, Liara gently cupped Del's face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right," Del replied. "Feel much better rested, thanks to you."

"I am glad that you let me help," Liara said softly. Del pulled her closer, hugging her tightly.

"I…never wanted you to see those dreams. Stupid to let them bother me-"

"No, it is not," Liara told her. "Del, I would do anything for you. If we are going to make it through this, then we cannot do it alone. I am here for you, as I know you are here for me. Do you not yet understand how much I love you?"

"I love you too, Tianlán," Shepard said softly. After a moment, she turned her head, kissing Liara's cheek gently.

Liara smiled a little, then took her hands. "I think you made a very wise decision, choosing Garrus as your XO."

"Yeah, well…I've needed one pretty badly for a while now. It's no good for a ship not to have a second, and I trust Garrus. He's a good man, and a good leader, no matter what he wants to think."

"He is," Liara agreed, the arched a brow slightly at the look on Del's face. "What?"

"You got any idea how beautiful you are?" Del asked.

Liara smiled coyly. "I see some sleep has done wonders for your libido."

"T'Soni, you have _no_ idea," Shepard grinned, tugging her hips closer. She kissed her, but it lasted only a moment before they realized they were no longer alone. Straightening abruptly, Del looked over to see EDI standing there, watching them in silence.

"EDI!"

"I can wait until you are finished," the AI said patiently.

"No, we're…what did you need?" Del asked, flustered that EDI had been staring at them.

_Why? It's not like she cares. Besides, you think she hasn't seen you do a lot more than just kiss Liara? _

Still, somehow the idea of EDI watching them with her mobile platform was a bit more disconcerting than the idea of her monitoring them as part of the ship itself.

"Urdnot Wrex has contacted the QEC and wishes to speak with you," EDI told her. "He says it is quite urgent. Also, Dr. T'Soni, the broker network is now secured. You may resume work at any time."

"Thank the Goddess," Liara said with relief, turning and kissing Del lightly on the cheek. "Go and speak to Wrex. I shall be in my quarters trying to track down the Migrant Fleet."

Neither of them said it aloud, but worry over Tali and the quarians had only increased the last few days. With the broker network down they had been seriously hampered in their attempts to find out what happened to the Flotilla…now at last they had a chance to look.

Shepard headed up to the QEC, nodding to both Haley and Traynor as she stepped through the war room. Haley barely glanced up from his reports to nod back, but she could feel Traynor's dark eyes following her as she crossed into the QEC.

Accessing the call, she looked up as Wrex's huge, holographic form appeared over the pad.

"Shepard," he greeted.

"Wrex," she replied. "What's the news?"

"I think we've found your missing Rachni," he told her. "My best men, Aralakh Company, went hunting for a surveillance squad that went missing on the edges of what used to be Rachni space. We lost contact with them as well, briefly, until just this morning. We got a short message, mostly static, but I thought you might be interested."

He touched something, and a voice recording began to play. It was broken up with static as he had said, but a handful of words were still clear.

"_- found the Rachni…situation is peculiar. Need…-tured the Queen. Cerberus-….-end some serious heavy hitters."_

"We can't send them reinforcements," Wrex said as the recording concluded. "The ships just arrived to take my first wave of troops to Palaven. I was hoping you could-"

"Of course," Shepard told him. "Send me their coords and I'll get the _Normandy_ there right away. The Rachni would be invaluable to the war effort."

"Provided they're actually on our side, hmm?" He nodded. "I'm sending the location to the CIC now. I'll ping Aralakh, let them know you're on the way, though there's no telling if they'll actually receive the message with communications being like they are. Good luck, Shepard."

* * *

They left the Vol-Fleet in system orbit around Kahje, taking only Yoh Etat along with them. The volus seemed more than ecstatic to be on board and in charge of the battery. In fact, the only thing that could have made him puff up even more proudly would have been if Ash was on board.

More and more, the _Normandy_ crew was beginning to reflect the galactic cooperation that Shepard was hoping to engender throughout the galaxy. Never had a single ship had such a diverse crew, with humans, turians, asari, a synthetic, and now a volus as well. Though they were not on board, Shepard would always consider Tali, Thane, Grunt and Wrex members of her crew as well…and she once again felt Mordin's loss keenly.

The coordinates that Wrex had provided were for a system two relays and six hours travel away. Utukku in the Ninmah cluster was on the very edges of what had been Rachni space before the wars. Hope that the Rachni Queen truly was still alive and may be amenable to joining them against the Reapers would not be quashed. Shepard had seen what the rachni could do on Noveria…to imagine that overwhelming, dogged force battling on their behalf inspired hope.

With Liara busy down on the Broker network, trying to find the Migrant Fleet and any further information she could about the Tide or Shiva, Shepard instead asked Miranda, Kasumi, Wilcher and Vega to accompany her dirt-side once they entered Utukku orbit- leaving her new XO in charge of the ship.

The krogans had set up a small base at the edge of a rocky ridge, overlooking a wide, flat plain. The camp looked almost lifeless as the shuttle settled down at the edge of it. Shepard stepped off with her rifle in hand, warily looking around.

"Looks abandoned," Wilcher said as he stepped off after her. "Could the krogan have been wiped out?"

"If they were, where are the bodies?" Del asked.

"I can scout it out," Kasumi offered, one finger already on her cloak before Del suddenly raised a hand.

"No, I hear vehicles."

Half a dozen small but heavy vehicles with caterpillar tracks rumbled into camp, pulling into a semi-circle. Almost before they had stopped, the sides opened up and fully armored krogan emerged. One headed her way, and Shepard gestured at her team to stay put as she moved forward to meet him.

The krogan lifted his hands, removing his helmet, and as he did Del broke into a wide grin, shipping her rifle and reaching out to grab his hand. "Grunt! Damn it all to fucking blazes, it's good to see you again."

The blue-eyed boy grinned widely, clapping a heavy hand against her shoulder pad. "Shepard! Ha! I thought that message said you were the one coming. Couldn't ask for anyone better!"

"Wrex didn't tell me you were part of Aralakh Company."

"Part? I'm in _charge_ of these sorry idiots."

Shepard was a bit surprised, looking at the other krogan as they removed their helmets. They were mostly all mature males, every one apparently far older than Grunt. They were looking warily at Shepard and her team. One of them, one of the largest, strode forward.

Turning his head, Grunt slapped him lightly on the chest-plate. "Rohg, this is my battle master," he said proudly. "Shepard, this is Velgat Rohg, my second."

"_This_ is Captain Shepard?" Rohg scowled in disbelief. "This tiny little pyjak?"

Before Shepard could move, Grunt slammed the taller male over the head and growled. "You will show respect! She is krant to Urdnot Wrex and to _me_, and she could make _your_ face look like the back end of a rabid varren- not that you're much prettier now."

Rohg's scowl deepened, but he nodded his head. "Then it is my honor, battle master."

Shepard nodded back, then looked at Grunt. "So, what have we got? You found rachni?"

Grunt gestured at her to follow him, and as she did he grinned. "Let me show you."

Going up to the first vehicle that he had climbed out of, Grunt reached inside and hit a button. Instantly a loud blare erupted from a pair of loudspeakers. Kasumi and Miranda both slapped their hands over their ears as Vega winced.

"Jesus, _that'll_ wake the dead," he said, rubbing one ear pointedly.

"What is that…an earthquake?" Wilcher asked a moment later as the ground seemed to vibrate slightly underfoot. Grunt just grinned, pointing at the upper ridge behind them.

Over the ridges and rocks came the swarm, hundreds of rachni soldiers pouring down the slope with insectile ease.

Kasumi and Vega both tensed, and Del knew she heard a little gasp from Miranda. Her own muscles tightened up, the more than familiar 'ready to fight' feeling rising up in her body, but as the krogan seemed unconcerned, she made no move.

The rachni didn't rush upon them or overwhelm them. When they reached the camp they merely stopped and waited, milling about and lightly touching the camp prefabs and vehicles with their long appendages as if they had never before encountered such things.

One, slightly larger than the others, moved through the mass and came up to Del and Grunt. Grunt half-smirked.

"This is Riot," he said.

"Riot?" Shepard asked.

"That's what we decided to call her. You have to let her touch you if you want to talk."

Remembering how the Queen back on Noveria had manipulated the dying asari to communicate- and having been controlled herself more times than she'd like- Del understandably hesitated. Kasumi shuddered.

"I don't know that _I_ would, Shep," she said.

Jaw tight, Del paused only a moment longer, before she unfastened her helmet and handed it to the thief, then tugged off a glove, holding her hand out. The large rachni almost gently wound one of its appendages around her fingers…just a light touch. The instant it came into contact with her, Del's eyes widened.

Every color of the rainbow seemed to fill her mind- even colors she never knew existed. Each shade had its own musical note, its own tone…and yet, she understood what each one meant, as if someone were speaking galactic in her mind.

**You are the One Who Let Us Sing Again. You are the one who released the Mother. Our praises to you**_._

"I am…I am pleased to meet you too," Shepard said with a blink. She understood somehow, just from the contact, that this was, herself, a young Queen…not yet quite mature enough to leave and found her own colony. She understood that this was the child of the Queen she had released.

_Of course she is. They're __**all**__ her children, aren't they?_

**The Mother sings. She needs our help.**

Perhaps sensing Shepard was off-balance with the colors and tones in her head, Riot released her hand, and the music lights vanished. Blinking rapidly, Shepard shook her head, regarding the creature in front of her with muffled awe a moment.

"Rocks you back on your heels, don't it?" Grunt nodded in understanding. "Riot's the only one that can do it. The rest don't seem to be able to…at least, not with us."

"She's a young Queen," Del said. "Their minds must be different. She said the Mother needed their help."

"Yeah, she does at that. Two days before we arrived, Cerberus did. A whole pissing lot of them."

"How many?"

"Our scouts report two companies, well-armed and equipped. They're camped just across the plains, about five miles from here."

"_Two companies_?" Miranda asked. "That's nearly five hundred men!"

"Five hundred men, ten Atlas suits, two heavy communications tanks, and a pair of pulse cannons," Grunt told her. "Somehow they managed to capture the Queen. They've got her sedated and in one hell of a lockbox that they keep under heavy guard. From what we've been able to gather, they're waiting on a big transport to come and take her off-world. According to Riot, she's due for another batch of eggs in less than a week."

"Cerberus will have their rachni army if they manage to get her off planet," Miranda said.

"_That's_ not going to happen," Del said firmly. "Grunt, I'm going to need everything you've been able to gather. Miranda, notify the _Normandy_ to be on the look-out for a Cerberus heavy appearing in orbit and see if he can't get some scans of their camp. EDI may be able to isolate their communications frequencies or even hack into their network."

Looking back at the young rachni in front of her, Del looked at it. "I'm going to do what I can to get your Mother back safely, Riot. I won't leave her to them."

The rachni backed up a pace, her numerous dark eyes sparkling a moment before she leaned up, letting out a shriek. Behind her, nearly every drone lifted its head in reply. Del needed no translation to know what it was. A battle cry, the rachni equivalent of a good old-fashioned marine _oorah_.

Del grinned.

* * *

The krogan had been very thorough in their scouting. They had holographs of most of the Cerberus camp site, including the enormous lockbox that was holding the Queen. They had patrol schedules and watch schedules. As Shepard went over the information with Wilcher, Grunt, and Miranda, the krogan boy told them about how they'd run into Riot and the army of rachni drones.

"They were holed up in a canyon not far from here. There's a maze of caves. We scouted them, thinking maybe that was the place where we'd lost the men we'd come to find. When we saw the rachni we nearly killed them."

"What stopped you?" Shepard asked. Grunt smirked at her.

"_You_ did," he said. "I remembered the story that Garrus told me, about when you freed the rachni Queen and the bargain you made with her. I figured it was worth a shot, so I said your name a couple of times. When they didn't attack, I knew I was on to something. Then Riot came forward and that was that."

Shepard smiled at him, a strange expression on her face. Grunt lowered his brows in confusion. "What?"

"You learned to use that goddamn big head of yours," she said. "I'm impressed."

He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. Truth be told, she was incredibly proud of him. She'd done her best, especially after he'd accidentally shot her, to teach him that he needed to think, that not every problem had to be erased with a gun.

It was rich advice coming from her, a person who routinely hit problems to make them go away, but there it was.

_My little krogan is all grown up_, she thought, and cleared her throat.

"Well, with Riot and her drones this is going to be easier, but we're going to end up with a slaughter on our hands. The _Normandy_ can't get in low enough to bomb the hell out of their camp. Even if we could risk it with the Queen there, those plasma cannons could take the ship down. Suborbital strikes with her main gun wouldn't be accurate enough…they'd kill their prisoner right along with the troops."

Grunt nodded his agreement. "We're gonna have to hit them head-on. Ground engagement on the plains."

"If we do that, won't they kill the Queen?" Wilcher asked. Miranda was already shaking her head.

"No. She's far too valuable. The Illusive Man would have made it clear to them that he considers her life above every single one of theirs. They can't afford to let her die."

Shepard, regarding the camp layout with unreadable eyes, tapped a finger against her lip. "We might have to pull a Virmire," she said.

"We can't set off a nuke-" Miranda started to protest, but Del waved a hand.

"I'm not talking about a nuke, I'm talking about sending in a shadow team while the bulk of our forces hits Cerberus upfront. If we can disable those plasma cannons, and those communications tanks, the odds go drastically into our favor. The team may even be able to release the Queen and we can get her out of there, let the _Normandy_ sweep up the mess."

"Hmm," Grunt pondered, then nodded. "I agree."

"Good. It's already getting dark out there, and we have some details we need to iron out. We'll send the shadow team in just before sunrise, then hit them with everything we've got as soon as the sun peeks over the horizon."


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: Hello all! Just a heads up…posting will get even more sporadic over the next couple of weeks, probably until after Labor Day. My surgery is on Wednesday and I'm double-busy at work making sure as much as possible is done before my leave. I do have my laptop at home so a few chapters should pop up while I'm away, but I can't guarantee schedule or frequency…or even lucidity as I'll be writing drugged off my gourd.

I will still be on Facebook so if you are a member of Del's page, keep an eye there for updates. Oh, and while we're discussing Facebook, just a heads up: to anyone that posts offensive pictures or quotes, don't be shocked if I unfriend you without warning. I'm a pretty tolerant person and it takes a lot to offend me, but there are some things that cross the line for me. You can say them all you want, just don't expect them to be on my news feed.

Big hot button: Anything derogatory to any group of people. Vicious comments aimed at any group of people will result in you being unfriended. This includes anti-theist, anti-atheist, racist, and heterosexist remarks.

If you don't share my political views or religious views on some matter, more power to you. I'm not going to unfriend you because you support one candidate over another or because your religious and moral beliefs differ with mine. HOWEVER, if you come on my page and say you support Candidate A because he'll get rid of all the fucking fags/atheists/insert race-based slur here you will be unfriended. I say this because recently several new patrons to my page have gone on to post extremely inflammatory and hateful things. They weren't directed at me, but that doesn't matter: we're all one world, and what hurts one of us should damn well hurt all of us. Fortunately I caught and banned them fairly quickly.

So, yeah, just a head's up.

On we go!

* * *

Dim lights lanced through the heavy night as the shuttle descended on the krogan camp, disgorging a few shadows as it landed. Shepard broke away from Grunt's side and headed over, nodding to Javik and EDI before focusing on Yoh.

Given what they faced, she had called them down from the _Normandy_ to join the ground attack. Liara had wanted to come to but Shepard put her foot down; right now, she had to concentrate on finding the Flotilla. Del was fully expecting an angry lecture when she got back.

"Yoh, you are absolutely sure you are familiar with these types of plasma cannons?" she asked as she lead the group over toward the others.

"Yes," he said eagerly. "I can take apart and put together most known weapons in my sleep. _Especially_ big ones."

"A volus after my own heart," she said. She had only recently learned that Yoh was actually a weapons specialist with the Bombardment Corps, which explained not only why he had been on the _Esosco_ but his knowledge of the rifle and pistol he'd used to kill the geth back on the Citadel during Saren's invasion. He had told her then that not all volus were bankers and merchants. It seemed some of them, like her, also got strangely excited when things exploded.

"You, EDI, and Foog will be on the shadow team," she said as they reached the others, and gestured at Kasumi. "Kas has command. When you hit the camp you and Foog will take out the plasma cannons while Kas and EDI find the Queen and release her. EDI, while Kas is working past the cage locks and security systems I want you to try and infiltrate the hostile network, bring down their communications."

"Which one is Foog?" Yoh asked. A big krogan, one of the largest there, stepped forward with a craggy scowl. Yoh was short enough he barely reached his hip.

"_I_ am Foog," the krogan said. Yoh, completely unintimidated, looked up at him, then offered a hand.

"We will battle in glory, brother!"

Foog's look went from sneering disdain to surprise. He glanced momentarily at Grunt, before he crouched and leaned closer to the volus. Yoh dropped his hand, but did not back away.

"He's goddamn _tiny_," Foog said disapprovingly, then looked at Shepard. "But then, so are _you_, and Grunt says you are worth any ten of us."

"Yoh can handle himself," Shepard said. "He won't let you down."

Foog grunted, then straightened again. Shepard eyed him before EDI spoke, distracting her.

"We have additional reinforcements confirmed, Captain," the AI said, tilting her head slightly as if listening to a distant whistle. "We have gotten contact from an asari shuttle."

"The asari?"

"Yes. Liara has approved them and directed them to our location. According to her message they are 'a present from her father.'"

Shepard was shocked, looking upward as a faint light appeared in the dark sky. Liara had recounted to her the conversation she'd had with Aethyta back on the Citadel. The matriarch had offered her asari commandos, but Shepard had taken that as kind of a joke. It seemed it was no joke after all, and Liara had in fact called them in to their assistance.

The shuttle swiftly lowered, landing neatly next to Cortez's. A full asari commando squad disembarked, no fewer than twenty souls. Around her she could hear the krogan making noises of approval. As a species, they well knew the damage a trained asari warrior could do.

A tall one in the lead broke off from the others and headed toward them, shedding her helmet. Though they would later be revealed to be a deep midnight blue, her eyes looked black as she strode forward.

"Captain Shepard?"

"Here," Del took a step forward, and the asari stopped, bowing her head slightly in greeting.

"I am Atyana V'Dess, Commander of the Colorless Wind. We are at your disposal."

The name niggled her a little. Shepard was sure she had heard it before, but couldn't place from where.

_Liara told me of course. She must have_.

"We're glad to have you, Commander," she said. "We were just about to go over the battle plan; we have a little over two hours left. This is Grunt, in command of Aralakh Company. Also you will see rachni in camp…they are on our side."

"Rachni?" She was understandably surprised at this, but recovered quickly. "Understood, we shall not engage them."

"You and your team will join the krogan, the rachni, and myself as we hit the Cerberus camp from the east…"

She continued to outline the plan. As soon as Kas and her team gave the signal, the bulk of their forces would engage Cerberus directly, distracting them and hopefully drawing their attention away from the Queen and the plasma guns. As soon as the guns were down and the Queen out of harm's way, the _Normandy_ could come in and mop up.

"My girl Ficea is small and fast, and used to doing recon," Atyana said. "Let her join your shadow team on the Queen's cage. She won't hold them up and she can help cover their backs."

"Done."

"We need to get moving if we're going to be in position in time," Kasumi said. Shepard nodded and gripped her hand a moment.

"Be careful. You too, EDI. Come back in one piece, dong ma?"

She then turned and looked at Yoh. "You too, my friend."

"Thank you, Captain," he said, then looked at Grunt. "Don't worry. I'll make it my priority to protect Foog and get him back safely."

It was clear by his tone that he was completely serious. Shepard hid a smirk as Grunt and Foog both stared at the volus, who unabashedly leaned up and patted Foog on the hand, as if to reassure him.

As the teams broke up, Grunt shook his head, then clapped Del on the shoulder. "Gonna be a hell of a fight," he said with a grin. "Just like old times. Almost makes me feel sorry for Cerberus. C'mon, this way. I got a present for you."

"Oh?" Shepard frowned, following the young krogan as he lead her across camp.

"Boys took out a small Cerberus patrol that got a little too close," he told her as he approached a tarp-covered mound. "We liberated them of their toys…including this. Thought you might like it."

Grabbing the tarp he hauled it off. It had been covering a turret-bike, and it looked brand fucking new, at that. Balanced on two wide wheels, the bike was enclosed and heavily armored, bearing a pair of ratchet guns at the front that could be operated by the driver. On the back was a nearly enclosed platform where a second rider could stand and operate a heavy turret, the weapon offering nearly 360 protection and capable of firing rounds big enough to put a hole in a tomkah.

Shepard's dark eyes glistened. "Grunt…you are my favorite krogan."

He rumbled a pleased laugh. "Trick is…which of us drives and which gets the big shiny gun?"

* * *

It was less than an hour before dawn would start to rise, and the sky was a heavy, black, seemingly starless expanse above. From here, they could see the distant lights of the Cerberus camp. Shadow had gone in and the rest of the company were just waiting for the signal.

Shepard stood beside the idling turret-bike, taking a long look around herself. The few vehicles they had were gathered and rumbling. Clinging to the outside of them or even perched on various hoods, the krogan were dark, mountainous shapes emitting thin white clouds of condensation in the cold air, interspersed with the asari. Wilcher, Vega, and Javik stood near her, and all but covering the field around and between them, the rachni formed a living sea, appendages waving a little as they rocked back and forth, moving to a music only they could hear.

Then a voice filled her ear.

_{Captain, we have a concern.}_

It was EDI, and she was not supposed to be transmitting this way. Slapping her hand to her helmet Shepard immediately had a bad feeling.

"You've secured the line?"

_{I have successfully infiltrated the Cerberus communication network. They are unable to hear us, Shepard.}_

"What's the problem?"

_{This camp is not the only force here,}_ EDI told her_. {The krogan surveillance was unable to pick up the much larger threat. According to what I have gleaned from their network, there was a second rachni ship that came down on this planet. Cerberus got to them first.}_

"Fuck!" Shepard turned and strode over to Riot, already yanking off her glove. "A second ship? The fuck is this about?"

Riot reached up and took her hand, and the colorful music filled Del's mind again.

She was shown how the Queen and Riot had arrived here. They had taken a ship to scout this planet for a suitable colony. When Riot was of age, they were hoping it would be to here that she would come, to raise her own children. Their ship was not far from here, and these drones were all the crew of that vessel- however this particular ship belonged to the Queen, and would not function without her guidance.

Shortly after she had been taken, Riot had contacted the rest of their people, seeking aid. They had sent a second ship to retrieve them…and it seemed something had gone wrong. Riot had believed the ship crashed, but more likely it had been shot down by Cerberus and its surviving crew taken captive.

"This would have been nice to know earlier!" Shepard said as the rachni released her hand. Even without the contact, she felt the shame from the young Queen.

_Young. I have to remember that, she's a Queen but she's still very young. She just didn't think._

Touching her radio again she asked, "EDI, when you say Cerberus got to them-"

_{They are not prisoners. They have been subjected to the same form of indoctrination as Udina and Valern.}_

"Fuck!"

_{They belong to the Tide.}_

* * *

"How many are there?" Atyana asked.

"EDI guesses about four hundred," Shepard replied, looking at the small gathering. "We've got five hundred but they've got that many troopers alone. We're seriously outnumbered here."

"Can Kas still get the Queen out?"

"They're working on it, and the second team has reached the plasma guns. We're going to have to go ahead with the attack. To pull out now means sacrificing the Queen and giving Cerberus even more rachni troops."

"We should kill the Queen," Atyana said, prompting an alarmed squeal from Riot. Shepard held her hand out toward the young rachni- a gesture to wait and not an offer for communication- and shook her head.

"No, that's not an option."

"It may be our _only_ option," the asari said. "Take out those plasma guns and bring your ship in to raze the entire camp. The Queen will be lost but not the species. Riot can take her place."

"Riot is far too young yet to take her place," Shepard said. "I don't know how long young rachni need the influencing songs of their Mothers, but I know what happens to them when they don't have it. Even if that wasn't a factor, I am not going to let the Queen die. Not if I can stop it, and most certainly not at my order."

"Your desire to preserve life is admirable, Captain, but the facts remain. We are strongly outnumbered. Far more will die if we engage their forces. I consider the loss of one life far more acceptable than the loss of potentially hundreds."

"Shepard's pulled off the impossible before," Wilcher said. "And she's right. Riot is this Queen's successor and she's too young to take over on her own. We don't know how many rachni are out there right now. We don't know they'd even listen to Riot. We save the Queen, and we have potentially millions of rachni in this war, fighting on our side. She dies, and you have just as many millions left unguided and in chaos…and certainly in no shape to help against the Reapers in any great number, even if they don't turn into a threat themselves."

Atyana frowned, looking over the waiting group, thinking a moment. Then she nodded. "I see your point."

"So, we need other options," Del said with a nod. "Full frontal attack is all but suicide now. If we could cut off Shiva's control of these rachni that would be one thing."

"So what would cut off Shiva's control?" Grunt asked.

"Destroying Shiva," Shepard said dryly, then pinched the bridge of her nose. She frowned. "Grunt, you've had that camp under surveillance for days now. None of your men saw _any_ sign of rachni?"

"None but ours," he replied. Shepard hit her radio.

"EDI, these indoctrinated rachni troops…where are they?"

_{Beneath the camp ,}_ she replied. _{They have created a series of tunnels in the neighboring hillside and remain underground.}_

"_Directly_ under the camp?" Shepard asked.

_{Slightly off-center, but I estimate that at least 83% of the camp sits atop their burrows.}_

"Is the Queen's cage in that portion of the camp?"

_{Just outside of it. There is bedrock beneath us, difficult for burrowing.}_

"Ok, hold tight." Her attention returned to the others. "The Tide rachni have burrowed under the camp itself. If we can get some ordinance in there, we can collapse the tunnels. It'll take out a good portion of the camp as well as a lot of their rachni soldiers."

"And we should be able to pick off the rest," Vega said, then grinned. "I like this plan."

"Explosives we have," Grunt said. "But we need a way to get them down there."

Immediately Riot reached for Del's hand again. Shepard looked at her. "She'll send some drones in. They'll be able to find the entrances quickly and Cerberus may not realize they're not their own soldiers. They can carry the explosives in and set them in key locations, make sure they detonate."

Then she shook her head, speaking to Riot. "It'd be suicide. Any drone that went down there would die with the others."

A pause, and she scowled. "I'd rather find a way that doesn't cost your people their lives, Riot. I-"

She turned her head as six drones broke off from the rest and lined up nearby. She shook her head again. "_No_, they'll be throwing their lives….Riot, I _understand_ but-"

She paused again, then sighed and nodded. The young Queen released her hand. "She insists they're volunteers, that they want to do this," she said. "She says they'll do anything to help save the Queen. She's just as damned stubborn as-…all right. If we're going to do this we need to move fast, before our shadow team is discovered. Grunt, get some explosives and let's get these rachni on their way."

* * *

Dawn was pearling the sky, and with each moment that passed, the two shadow teams were more and more at risk.

Yoh and Foog had disabled one of the plasma guns and had reached the second. Yoh was rather inconspicuous but Foog was harder to keep hidden. The light was helping in that it allowed their work to go faster, but they had only minutes before the burgeoning daylight would give them completely away.

At the cage, Kasumi, EDI and Ficea were a little better off. The cage itself was a huge solid lockbox which allowed a great deal of cover. With her cloak, Kasumi could move around with impunity, working on the security systems and the locks that were keeping the box sealed. She had very nearly gotten it open when EDI suddenly looked at her and calmly said, "Brace yourself."

A belch of dirt and rock geysered into the air on the other side of the camp, joined within seconds by a second, and then a third. The ground shook madly with the force of the explosions, and Kasumi gripped hold of the cage controls to steady herself. The sky darkened again as the dirt and smoke began to pour into the air, and the shaking was still going strong when they heard the first of the gunshots.

Turning her head, Kasumi watched as half the sprawling camp behind them was consumed by the roiling earth, as if the ground itself was chewing it up. A prefab broke in half and tumbled into the growing pit, and she was sure she heard more than one scream.

"Uh…_it's not stopping_," Ficea said in sudden alarm, as the collapsing edge of the chasm continued their way, drawing rapidly closer. With a muffled curse, Kasumi was forced to abandon the controls, grabbing EDI by the arm. The three women fled the collapse, the dirt seeming to sag and fall away directly at their heels.

They rushed around the side of the cage, and the thief could hear the deep groan of the metal box as it began to lean, the solid surface beneath it spilling downward.

Then the shaking steadied. As if it were drunk, the cage rocked forward at a cant, then went still again, two thirds on the solid bedrock that EDI had detected, the rest hanging precariously over the gaping maw of the collapsed tunnels.

The air was far from silent. The sharp high reports of small arms fire could be heard above the deep concussive booms of heavier ordinance, the roar of various engines, the shouts of fighting men and women. Bracing one hand on the side of the cage, Kasumi hurried back toward the front, and then cursed. The controls were gone, the cage door out of reach over the crevasse.

"If you can reach the door can you get it open?" Ficea asked, stopping at Kasumi's side and surveying the situation.

"I can get _any_ door open, but how will I reach-"

She broke off with a sound of surprise as she was suddenly enveloped in biotics. Warm static rippled over her skin as she was lifted off the ground, passing over the chasm and in toward the door.

"Well that's handy," she said as she dug out her tools again, immediately setting to work. She got through the first lock, gesturing to Ficea to lift her a bit higher, and started to work on the second. Something seemed to scream as it flew just overhead ,slamming into the cage hard enough to dent the metal and send it rocking again. Broken bits of stone and nearly molten rock rained down on her and she recoiled, instinctively lifting her arm to protect herself. Ficea pulled her back over the chasm and away from the worst of the debris, but she could feel heat boring into her forearm. Slapping at it frantically she managed to dislodge a few embers, sweeping them away from her skin.

"I'm all right," she called after a moment. "Get me back to the lock!"

She was moved in closer again, wincing a bit as she heard more heavy explosions. Getting the second lock open she had Ficea lift her toward the third. This one was the hardest, as the lock was just beneath where the rock had hit. The damage had warped it a little, and in the end it took her gritting her teeth, prying with as much sheer brute strength as she could manage, before it popped free. Hauling the release mechanism for the door she watched as it rumbled open, Ficea lowering her down and forward, setting her just within the lip of the dark cage.

Kasumi settled her feet, grabbing the edge of the door to steady herself as the biotics holding her weightless faded away. In the shadowy depths of the massive lockbox she could see a giant black shape curled tightly; the enormous rachni Queen.

She wasn't moving.


	54. Chapter 54

A/N: Aaaaand we're back!

Surgery went well, and I'm more or less recovered. Sorry there were no chapters whilst I was away…couldn't keep two thoughts in a coherent order for much of my recuperation.

Make the most of this chapter, it's going to have to suffice until Wednesday, sadly.

Still left-of-canon…enjoy!

* * *

The interior of the solid metal cage rang and vibrated with each heavy explosion, making it sound almost as if thunder were roiling within. The dark, still shadow of the Queen was momentarily outlined in bright blue light as Kasumi headed toward her…a reflection of the biotics that Ficea was using to hover herself into the lockbox as well.

"Is she dead?" the young asari asked as Kasumi reached the shadow's side. The thief had not been prepared for the sheer _size_ of the Queen. While she had never been one to be skittish around bugs, one of _this_ size was enough to give _anyone_ a phobia.

"I don't know," Kasumi replied honestly. How did one take a bug's vital signs? Did they even breathe? It wasn't like she could just press a hand into her neck and feel a pulse!

_Does this thing even __**have **__a neck?_

Ficea lit a ball of biotic flame above her hand, illuminating the space a bit better. Locating the head, Kasumi crouched and lightly touched it, her hand snapping back in surprise a moment later when it shifted slightly.

"She's alive, but I think she's heavily sedated. We need to get her out of here. Can you lift her with your biotics?"

"It's going to take some effort but we don't have much choice," Ficea said, and let her fire snuff. Kasumi shifted out of the way as the commando gathered herself, took a deep breath, and held out her hands.

A halo of shifting blue surrounded the limp Queen, bright enough to cast the shadows within the box into sharp relief. Kasumi lifted a hand to shield her eyes against it, then hurried to the open door. The battle was still raging, the noise and smoke incredible. Spotting EDI looking at her from the edge of the ravine, she waved.

"The Queen is sedated! We're going to move her out with biotics!"

EDI nodded and half turned her head. The thief could see her lips moving- she was probably informing Shepard and the others. Returning her attention to the interior of the cage, Kasumi flattened herself against one wall, watching as the huge Queen passed overhead and then slowly out the gaping door.

* * *

_{We have four men pinned down on the east side!}_

"We're heading in! Keep up the pressure!"

The turret bike leaned sharply to one side as Shepard hauled it around, the wide treads spitting grass, dirt, and gravel high into the air before it lurched forward again. The heavy slamming blast of the gun behind her nearly drowned out Grunt's delighted roars of laughter as he fired.

_{Shepard, the Queen appears to be heavily sedated. The cage is open and they are moving her out with biotics.}_

EDI's report drew a growled epithet from Del's lips before she responded. "Understood! Wilcher! Vega! I need men over to the Queen's cage! They're floating her out and they're going to need all the protection they can get!"

_{Roger, Captain. On our way with a group of the rachni!}_

"Everyone else! Keep the pressure on the west! Draw as much fire as you can away from the group to the east!"

Two rachni drones, their several eyes glowing green, appeared out of the dust. Shepard opened fire with her ratchet guns, tearing one in half before simply plowing into the second, crushing it beneath the turret bike's unrelenting treads. Spotting the Atlas that was pinning down four of the krogan she swung in close, Grunt focusing heavy blasts on its leg joints. The pilot of the Atlas was surprisingly quick, however. As the first shots began to hit, it whirled on its waist and sent a rocket into the path of the speeding bike. Shepard sharply veered and felt loose dirt churning under the side of the tires as the concussion from the blast slammed through the bike's cockpit. The windscreen crazed madly and she felt the vehicle tipping.

"No you _don't_ you fucker!"

She slammed her hand on a control, switching full power to the front tread and planting the throttle. The bike grabbed doggedly at the turf in front of it before surging forward and back onto solid ground. Grunt's next two shots landed in the Atlas's cockpit, destroying both it and its pilot. As the turret bike rumbled past, the pinned krogan let out a battle cry and broke from cover, surging back into the fray.

_{Shepard, my men are reporting that some of the rachni tunnels are still intact, and we have hostile troops digging their way out,}_ Grunt told her. _{There was another partial collapse and a few of the asari commandos are trapped underground with rachni closing in!}_

_{Captain, the plasma turrets are out,_} Yoh said before she could respond. _{We are unable to get back to help guard the rachni Queen, but from our vantage it looks like Cerberus is pulling back to the north.}_

"All units, press on Cerberus to the north! Grunt, we're going down into the tunnels."

_{Bring it on!}_

"EDI, inform me the moment that the Queen is clear and safe! We'll pull out our men and the _Normandy_ can do her work!"

_{Understood, Shepard.}_

Del guided the turret bike through the shifting melee, Grunt mowing a path as she sought for a suitable way down into the chasm. Finally realizing it would be all or nothing, she barked a quick 'hang on!' to the young krogan and started down the shifting, broken wall of dirt and debris.

Rumbling over the top of a torn up prefab, the bike was momentarily suspended in mid-air before slamming down to the bottom of the crater. Weaving through the soft earth and half-buried remains of Cerberus's once expansive camp, she spotted a still serviceable tunnel entrance on the infrared.

Dark fell over them as she drove into it, but only a short way inside the path became far too small for the large bike to navigate. Drawing to a halt she opened the canopy and dismounted, waving at Grunt.

"We'll have to hoof it from here," she told him, drawing her rifle. Moving forward to scout the visible portion of the tunnel, she heard a sharp squeal of metal and whipped around in surprise.

Grunt, impressive muscles bulging, hauled even harder on the mounted turret gun, finally wrenching it free of its bed. Bracing it against his side, he hopped down to the ground, then saw her staring at him.

"What?"

She grinned at him, shaking her head. "That's my boy. Be careful firing that thing down here though- ground's already unstable and we don't want it coming down and burying us."

The muffled sound of gunfire reached them only a few turns later, but the tunnel abruptly halted at a dead-end immediately after. The gunfire sounded very close, as did the shouting voices of the asari. Putting an ear to one wall, Del then prodded at it with the butt of her rifle. Some of the dirt fell away, showing a sizeable gap. Gritting her teeth, she began hewing at the wall, the thin layer of earth quickly crumbling away. Just on the other side, the wounded asari were firing on a torrent of green-eyed rachni that were pouring out of an adjacent juncture.

Shoving her way through, Shepard measured up the sight even as she added her fire toward the indoctrinated insects.

Half a dozen asari were still standing, along with two battered krogan. Three asari were on the ground, two obviously badly wounded and one sadly beyond any help, crushed by a massive boulder that had collapsed on top of her. Even those on their feet were wounded. Judging by the gap far above, the group had fallen at least fifty feet into the half-desiccated tunnels. In the chaos of dirt and rock, orientation to use their biotics as they fell would have been limited, and the majority of them had struck the ground at some speed.

At the far wall, the rachni had broken through the half-collapsed passage and were now pouring in on them, scrambling over their wounded or dying precisely as they had back on Noveria.

Moving to one side to let Grunt shove his way through, Del grabbed the nearest commando by the arm. "Start getting these girls out through there," she ordered, gesturing at the way she and Grunt had come in. "We'll help hold them off!"

Grunt moved to the fore, grinning broadly as the turret gun in his hands snarled into life, the ordinance ripping through the screaming bugs and forcing them back. Not letting up on her own fire, Shepard helped to haul one of the more horribly wounded women to her feet, but it was clear she could not walk on her own and was bleeding badly.

The other asari were quickly ducking into the other tunnel, and as the last one passed through, Shepard edged that way.

"Grunt!"

"_Go_, I'll cover you!" he shouted back.

Edging into the side tunnel herself, she helped the wounded asari as far as the bike. Atyana and some krogan appeared, and Shepard unceremoniously passed her wounded passenger off to the Commander. "Get them out of here, these tunnels are unstable," she ordered, then turned around.

The walls seemed to be weeping dirt as she shoved her way back into the small chamber. A path of tortured rachni bodies was strewn all over, the ground soaked to mud with their ichor. Grunt's laugh and the heavy boom of his shotgun could be heard further down the tunnel as he continued to pursue the insects, the overheated turret gun laying discarded only a few feet away.

"_Grunt!_" she called as she headed that direction. As she stepped past the steaming gun, more dirt and rock suddenly rained down from above, slamming into her helmet hard enough to jar her. Skipping back instinctually, she raised a hand over her head as everything around her started to give way, the distant blue sky disappearing as the unstable structure disintegrated and collapsed. Just that fast, fifty tons of death was bearing down on her head.

It never struck.

Gasping, she looked upward to see a wall of biotics holding the collapse at bay, and turned her wide eyes to the asari standing just within the escape tunnel. Liara's face was taut with concentration behind her face-plate as she held the fall at bay.

"Shepard, _hurry!"_

Rushing toward her, Shepard swung an arm around Liara's midriff, yanking her through the short gap with her and actually lifting her off her feet a moment. They burst into the main tunnel, the asari losing her hold on her biotics. Unencumbered, the avalanche continued, Del charging up the tunnel with one arm still slung around Liara's waist as the two fled. Only feet behind them, the ceiling continued to collapse. Del could feel gravel pelting against the back of her helmet as they charged past the turret bike without pause.

Even as they reached open air they did not stop, running on as the slope behind them broke free and began to tumble. Shepard shoved Liara ahead of her as she stumbled on a broken chunk of debris, then regained her footing. Liara paused as she reached the tires of an upside down MAKO, looking backward. Skidding to a halt next to her, Shepard glanced around as the avalanche settled, the new slope of the collapse only half a dozen yards away.

Panting for air, Shepard slapped her radio. "Grunt!"

Static filled her ear, and she moved forward a few paces before Liara's restraining hand caught her arm. She shrugged it off but stopped walking as she tried again. _"Grunt! Answer me goddamn it!"_

Static again, before a voice broke through. For a moment her heart lifted with hope, before she realized it was Wilcher's voice, and not the young krogan's.

_{Captain! The Queen is clear!}_

Her throat burned as she grit her teeth and turned away from the slope. "_Full evacuation_! Everyone clear the camp right now! Joker! Prepare the assault run on my mark!"

_{Roger that, we are moving into start position!}_

Krogan, asari, and Riot's troops were flooding up the ragged wall a dozen yards away. Grabbing Liara's arm Shepard headed at a trot after them.

"The fuck are you doing down here, Liara?" she demanded. "I told you to stay on the _Normandy!_"

"You told me to continue looking for the Flotilla," Liara corrected breathlessly as she ran beside her. "I concluded that task!"

"You knew _exactly_ what I fucking meant! You could have been _killed_ in that collapse!" Del was furious at the asari for disobeying the spirit of her orders, if not the letter. Liara was not to be chastised, however.

"_**You**_ _would_ have been, had I not arrived in that tunnel in time!"

Reaching the slope, Del shook her head. "We'll argue about this _later_! Right now, I-"

Just above them on the path, one of the asari slowed and pointed. "By the Goddess! Am I…I am really _seeing_ that?"

Turning her head, Shepard looked out over the ruined, dust and smoke filled canyon. A few Cerberus troops and indoctrinated rachni were still in evidence, and as she looked she saw a krogan run out of the smoke, shotgun flaming and a craggy grin of pure delight on his face.

It was Foog, and perched on his shoulders was none other than Yoh. The volus was laying about them with a pistol, whooping and hollering excitedly as he covered the krogan's flanks.

It was quite a sight, but for some odd reason, it did not strike Shepard as unexpected. Turning back to the staring asari, she pointed sharply. "Keep moving! _Go_!"

They headed upslope, Foog and his passenger taking the flank and keeping them covered. A tomkah was waiting just at the top, the rachni rushing away from the camp as fast as any vehicle could drive. All but shoving Liara aboard, Shepard turned and snagged Yoh's arm as the pair reached her, hauling the volus off Foog's back and all but tossing him inside as well.

Foog leapt up after him, leaving Del to step up on the flank. The tomkah was far too full to allow the door to close, so she held tight onto it and Foog's arm as the vehicle turned and headed off at top speed.

"Report as we're clear!"

_{Krogan clear!}_ A deep voice said.

_{Last of the commandos clear!}_

"Are the rachni clear?"

_{Rachni are now at safe distance, Captain!}_

"_Joker_! Hit that goddamn camp with everything you got!"

The tomkahs were just barely two miles away and still moving when the sun flashed off the _Normandy's_ flank, the frigate sailing in with weapons firing. What was left of the Cerberus camp and its forces vanished into a nearly volcanic eruption of dirt, smoke, and debris.

The vehicle drew to a halt a few moments later, a good three miles away from what was now little more than a lifeless crater. Shepard stepped down to the grass, hauling her helmet off as she did so. Fresh morning air cooled her heated cheeks as she looked toward the cloud of smoke.

A few of the others disembarked as well, Yoh and the krogan cheering and waving their weapons in the air. Shepard didn't feel the celebration. Quietly, she stepped off to the side before leaning back against the tomkah's hood, hanging her head.

"Shepard?" Liara's soft voice preceded the hand on her shoulder plate by only a heartbeat.

"Just…a moment, Li," she said softly. She wanted to cry, to scream up at the sky, to curse fate or chance or God or whatever had taken yet another friend away from her again, but she couldn't. She couldn't lose it, not right now. Grunt wouldn't-

The roaring cheer of the krogan grew louder, and Liara's hand suddenly tightened, giving a faint shake to draw Del's attention. "Shepard, _look_!"

Lifting her head, squinting through the bright sun toward the shifting dust, Del saw the shape of a rachni rushing over the landscape, away from the crater. It was bigger than the drones, marking it instantly as Riot herself. Clinging to her back was a young krogan, bleeding from a dozen different wounds and barely maintaining his grip. Dropping her helmet, Shepard ran forward, half catching the boy as Riot drew to a halt and he tumbled off.

"_Grunt!"_

Gripping hold of her he struggled upright, but his big head was hanging low and it was clear from the dimness in his eyes he was in a very bad way. Still, he struggled to walk, his krogan spirit as stubborn as it had ever been. A faint chuckle escaped his throat as he looked at Del, the captain helping him along.

"_Good fight_," he said weakly, but proudly. "I could go for some Ryncol right about now."

* * *

Though Kasumi and her group had managed to get the Queen out of the danger zone, that's as far as they'd been able to move her. Ficea was utterly biotically exhausted, as was another commando who had arrived to assist. The Queen was only vaguely conscious, laying on a large hummock of grass and weakly moving at best.

Shepard had called Cortez in immediately to evac Grunt and several others up to the _Normandy_ for medical treatment- despite the boy's protests that he was fine- and they had taken the tomkah to the group with the Queen. Riot, only mildly battered around, had run alongside them but quickly outsped the vehicle when she caught sight of the limp Mother.

Kasumi and EDI met Shepard as she disembarked, the thief looking at Liara with a bit of surprise. "I thought you were shipboard?"

"Yeah, so did _I_," Shepard said with a stern glare at the asari. Sensing she was treading dangerous ground, Kasumi cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"The Queen was heavily sedated. She's only just now showing signs of activity, but she wasn't harmed."

"The young rachni, at least, seems pleased to see her," Liara said. Riot had reached the Queen's side and was lightly touching her face and mandibles, the Queen groggily brushing her own appendages over the smaller female's head as well. The drones were starting to gather, staying at a respectful distance but swaying in a way that could only be joy.

Then, Riot broke away from the Queen and rushed over to Del. Shepard shed a glove when the youngster's intentions became clear, and held out her hand to be taken.

**We are most grateful to you for saving the Mother! Your name will be sung until the stars die!**

"I…that won't be necessary," she said self-consciously.

**The Mother wishes to sing with you.**

The touch on her hand became a grip and a gentle tug, and Shepard allowed herself to be lead over to the mammoth rachni Queen.

As she neared, the Queen lifted her head slightly, appendages moving weakly before one managed to settle on Shepard's hand. The amazing singing colors from Riot's communication were bright and joyful, but from the Queen they were wearier, subdued and fuzzier…no doubt an effect of the sedation.

**You have freed us once again. You have kept the Daughter safe. We know you fight the colorless ones. We know you fight those that soured the songs of our Mothers. **

"Yes," Shepard replied. "They have attacked my world. My people are dying by the thousands, and they won't stop there. Will you help us?"

**We will help you. Our ships will darken the skies and save your people, as you have saved ours.**

Shepard couldn't help the breath of relief that escaped her. The rachni forces on their side would be a significant coup.

"Thank you. This means more to me than you know."

**Ever you and yours shall be our friend.**

Her massive head lifted a little, her eyes shifting to Riot, who waited nearby.

**The Daughter wishes to journey with you. The Daughter wishes to fight beside the One Who Let Us Sing Again.**

Shepard blinked in shock. "Riot wants to-…it will be _extremely_ dangerous. Riot is far too valuable to your people to risk-"

**Our people have stood long on their own. Before the sour notes of our Mothers, our people were solitary. Because of this, we have fallen and will fall. We have learned from the One Who Let Us Sing Again that our people cannot stand alone any more. The Daughter wishes to learn to stand with others, so when the time comes, she can sing this new song to her Children…so that **_**they**_** will never stand alone.**

Shepard rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand as she thought this over. Finally she nodded. "I would be honored if Riot would accompany us on the _Normandy_. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

**And the Daughter will do everything in her power to keep **_**you**_** safe as well. We are grateful. **

"We'll stay here until you are strong enough to return to your ship safely," Del said. "The _Normandy_ will escort you out of the system to ensure Cerberus doesn't cause you more problems. We will transmit coordinates to you on where your people are needed most, and if you need anything further, do not hesitate to ask."

The Queen sent a final burst of joyful yellows and oranges into Shepard's mind, before withdrawing her grasp, her head lowering tiredly. Shepard lightly touched the hard carapace of her face, just above her eyes, and nodded respectfully before looking at the anxious Riot.

"I guess you're coming with us, my friend," she said. The young rachni immediately rose up, her trumpeting squeal nothing but the purest delight.

* * *

With the threat of Cerberus eliminated, the _Normandy_ landed a few hundred yards away, and for a few hours there was an almost constant stream of traffic on and off the ship. Chakwas informed Shepard that Grunt was going to be just fine…he'd been badly hurt, but his pure stubbornness along with his redundant organ systems had turned the tide.

Shepard tried to talk the young krogan into remaining on board the _Normandy_, but Grunt would not be swayed. As soon as he was able, he was insisting on being returned to his men and waiting for the evac ship that was headed their way.

"If there's one thing you've taught me, battle master, it's that you don't abandon your men," he said to her through heavy-lidded, half-drugged eyes. "Those sorry sacks need me, just as your crew need you."

Shepard reluctantly understood, knowing in her gut that she and Grunt would be fighting shoulder to shoulder again, long before this war was ended. As he fell to sleep, she gave his plates an affectionate buss with her hand…a gesture she knew he would never really tolerate were he awake and lucid.

"I'm so proud of you, big guy."

Her mood changed almost instantly the moment she strode out of the infirmary and caught sight of Liara waiting for her. Gesturing sharply at the asari, she directed her toward her door at the other end of the mess, waiting for Liara to go within her quarters before following her.

As soon as the door hissed shut, Liara turned. "Shepard-"

"You _deliberately_ disobeyed my orders, Liara! I told you to stay aboard the _Normandy_! And don't give me this tap-dancing bullshit, you know _full well_ I meant for the duration of the mission!"

Liara arched a brow, folding her arms defensively. "That is as may be, but it still stands that had I not arrived when I did, you would have been crushed under a landslide."

"That is _not_ an excuse! Soldiers don't-"

"I am not a _soldier_, Shepard. I am a scientist and an information broker. You cannot protect me from this war, and I would do it again in an instant, especially knowing that to do otherwise would lose this entire galaxy of its greatest chance at success…and lose me the woman I love."

"Don't pull that goddamn card on me, Li! You don't get a 'get out of trouble free' card every goddamn time just because you're _twitterpated!_"

"Twitterpated?" Liara smirked with some amusement. "That must be a human term."

"_It's a Bambi term_!" Shepard snapped, then realized the ridiculousness of what she'd just said. She let out a breath that was half frustrated growl, half bemused chuckle, and seemed to deflate a little. She shook her head with a faint grin. "Li…you _know_ what I mean."

"I do," the asari said gently. "I know that I cannot change you, Del…but neither can _you_ change _me_."

Shepard grunted faintly, scratching at her neck a little as she glared at the floor. Liara inclined her head a bit, dipping to try and meet her eyes. "Besides, you have not yet asked me the most important question."

"What's that?"

"I left the _Normandy_ because my task was completed."

Shepard lifted her head, realization breaking through. "You found the Flotilla?"

"I did. They are within the Perseus Veil." She turned and walked to one of her consoles, drawing up some information. "I cannot pinpoint their location any closer than a cluster, but all evidence suggests they are engaged with geth forces."

"Eng-…" Shepard's eyes widened. "They're trying to take back _Rannoch_?"

"So it would seem."

"Fuck! Joker! As soon as we've escorted the rachni out of this system I need you to make tracks as fast as you can for the Perseus Veil!"

_{You have odd taste in vacation spo-}_

"_JUST FUCKING DO IT!"_

_{Uh…copy that-}_

Del turned and headed for the door, and Liara hurried after her, catching hold of her arm. "Del…she'll be all right."

Shepard's dark eyes were sharp as she looked back at her. "She fucking _better_ be," she said in a low, hard voice. "Because if I find out that the quarians got my Mei Mei killed in some stupid, goddamn futile fucking war I will tear their _whole fucking __**Fleet**__ apart_!"


	55. Chapter 55

A/N:

For those of you who were wondering why I didn't post a chapter while I was recouping and toked up on serious pain meds, I submit a little bit of writing I DID do during said recuperation whilst, in fact, toked up on pain meds.

A friend asked me to write something and I, lofty in my pharmaceutical heights, complied briefly… and this is what came out. No lie, this is the way my brain works when stoned on Vicodin. I'm amazed things are spelled correctly:

- Once upon a time there was a girl named DEEDEE. Cuz people need to know her name. Everyone knows her name, she's just that kinda chick you know? Where everyone knows her, and she's like…everywherrrrreee.

And this one time, at band camp…which was really weird cuz she doesn't even know how to play an instrument. But she knows how to spell, which is you know…very important. And shit.

And then Del walked into the CIC and she was like, Sam, dude…what the fuck man. Oh shit, I forgot the quotes.

And this is why I don't write when I'm high. Thank you very much, God bless motherfuckin' America.

But it was too late.

They were dead. -

Yeah. Can you imagine a whole chapter of that? Del would have ended up a ballerina, Liara would have run off with Ted Turner, and the Normandy would have been turned into a floating musical. Amusing as it would be, I decided discretion was the better part of valor.

As for this chapter, a special thanks once again to Bladhaire for her contributions!

On we go!

* * *

Joker shifted in his chair nervously, the discomfort of moving outweighed for the moment by his obvious disquiet over Riot's presence on board the _Normandy_. "I mean, what the hell do rachni even _ea_t anyway?"

EDI, her chassis standing idly nearby, inclined her head. As Del approached the helm, unseen by her helmsman, she caught what could only be described as a sidelong glance from the synthetic towards the hapless pilot.

"Anything they can catch I believe. Rachni are omnivorous."

"Anything they can... are you _kidding_me?"

"Is something wrong, Jeff?"

"Oh, no, nothing…I'm just the _slowest guy on the ship_, and-"

"I fail to see your point."

Shepard smirked as she halted behind his chair, the red-faced Joker still unaware she was there and listening.

"Oh, I get it. Funny EDI, _really_ funny. You know I like you a lot more when you're testing out being human on other people. Why don't you go burn Javik again, I'm sure he's said or done thing to deserve it."

"You know, Javik is insectile as well," Shepard said, lifting a brow as Joker visibly startled and turned his head to gape at her.

"_Captain!"_

"Problem, Joker? You seem a bit jumpy."

"N-No, ma'am, I just-"

"Have concerns about Riot? Don't worry, Joker. I won't let her eat you, unless you give me a reason. How long until we reach the Veil?"

Joker's face reflected that he was clearly weighing whether or not she was joking, before he cleared his throat. "We've got about twenty hours, Captain."

"There's no way we can shave some time off of that?"

"I'll do my best but it'll be minutes at most," he said.

"Do it. I've got Traynor sending out pings toward the Fleet's relative location. Hopefully they'll actually answer us. I want you to be her back-up…you think you hear so much as a whisper from the quarians and I want to know about it, dong ma?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Shepard turned away from the helm, what faint levity she'd felt listening to the exchange between Joker and EDI long gone in the short time it took her to reach the CIC. Her head was starting to hurt again, tightening her brow and setting a scowl on her face that put the rest of the crew onto eggshells. Checking in briefly with Traynor once more, she headed for the QEC to speak to Hackett.

The man's face looked more careworn than before, translated even through the pale light of the holographic interface. "Shepard, what's your report?"

"I'm sending communications protocols to you, Admiral…and a head's up. You have about twenty ships heading your way full of workers for the Crucible."

"Twenty? God knows we can use every hand we can get…salarian?"

"No sir. Rachni."

To his continued credit, his surprise only amounted to a single lifted brow. "Rachni?"

"Yes sir. We rescued the Queen from Cerberus forces. In return she and her people have agreed to help in any capacity needed. They have ships and numbers…and surprising technical expertise. They can lift several times their weight and don't tire nearly as easily as the rest of us soft organics. They'll be of immense use and can bolster not only our fleets but our infantry when we get back to Earth."

"I trust you Shepard. I'll alert our security and patrols that the rachni are coming. Have you had any further luck with the asari or the salarians?"

"None, sir, but I'm continuing to work on the problem. However, it seems we've finally tracked down the quarian fleet. The _Normandy_ is on her way to them now. Hopefully within a few days I'll be contacting you to tell you we've got the entire Flotilla on our side, and quarian engineers heading to the Crucible."

"That _would_ be good news," he said with a nod. "I look forward to that report. Was there anything further?"

"Nothing now, sir. I'll call again in a few days. Shepard out."

As his image faded her headache seemed to sharpen, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with no small level of irritation. She could almost hear Liara in her head urging her to go up to the Nest and get some sleep, but Shepard felt far too on edge for rest at the moment, and it seemed that she still had a million and one things to do.

_Coffee, then, and maybe a couple of aspirin to take the goddamn edge off. Then I've got to check in with Yoh at the battery and make sure the weapons' systems are at optimal in case we actually __**are**__ heading into a war zone._

_Damn quarians anyway. Bunch of stupid goddamn suit rats-_

She physically tossed that thought away with a sharp shake of her head, her scowl deepening as she headed out of the QEC. She hadn't even reached the lift yet when she began to hum, the taut stitch of her brows softening slightly.

* * *

"This is everything you have?" Miranda asked as she looked up from the data pads scattered in front of her. She stood behind the bar at the Normandy's lounge, one hand resting on a half-full glass of brandy as she regarded the information spread before her. Seated on the other side of the wood surface, Nan, Liara, and Chakwas were holding fast to their drinks, the occasional idle sip making its way to their lips. Only Helen's beverage was non-alcoholic; though she was currently off-duty, one never could tell when an emergency would send a patient her direction, and she needed to remain clear-headed.

"That is all the information we were able to learn from the records we pulled from Earth, as well as Allers' claims and the brief outlines Mordin was able to make before he passed," Liara said. "It is all we know on both the Reaper's indoctrination processes, as well as Wyatt's."

"Both apparently used infrasound and subharmonics-…this is going to take me days to wade through. No wonder Shepard looks so haggard. How bad are the nightmares?"

"They are quite bad," Liara said. "Although she has been improving a bit the last few nights. I am able to use the Joining to help her process the dreams as they come and soothe her mind back into a relaxed state, but it is an arduous task, and only somewhat successful. Still, it's allowing her to manage an hour or two of sleep more per night."

"Getting four hours of sleep isn't all that much better than just getting one," Nan said, and Chakwas nodded.

"Without proper time spent in both REM and reparative sleep states it's a thin bandage at best. And it's taking its toll on you as well."

"I can think of no other way to help her," Liara said.

"Sadly, neither can I. Normally there's a few different kinds of sedative that I could prescribe but nothing works on her anymore, and each would dull down her REM states anyway…it would only buy her a little more time."

"The only cure for this _is_ a cure," Nan said, looking hopefully at Miranda. "Unless we can repair or reverse what Wyatt did to her she's only going to continue to get worse. Liara's assistance can only pause the process so long."

"I'll do everything I can, of course," Miranda said, "but this is going to be difficult. It's going to take quite some time…time I'm not entirely sure we have. If stress and anger actually speed up this process than our biggest ally would be to halt all stress and anger triggers."

"Which is quite impossible, given our circumstances," Liara said.

"Del wouldn't know what to do without her anger," Nan said. "She channels it admirably but she depends on it a great deal…and it is her strength. The lack of it alone would stress her beyond comprehension."

"You know we'll do anything we can to help you, Miranda," Chakwas told her. "We just can't afford to 'wait and see'."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Miranda said, then nodded. "I'll put all my energies and spare time into this. I didn't spend two years rebuilding her to lose her to Osco's crazy brother. Given circumstances, however, things might soon get drastically worse."

"Yes," Liara said softly. "I do not want to imagine how she'll react if something has happened to Tali."

"The little quarian she calls her Mei Mei?" Nan asked, and the asari nodded.

"For Shepard, it would be like losing Paul all over again. Sydney's death was bad enough. Losing Tali, I fear, would break her for good."

"If Tali is lost, we'll have no other choice but to relieve Shepard of duty-" Miranda began, only to be fixed with a stern look from Liara.

"We cannot do that. Without Shepard, we may as well lie down in front of the Reapers and wait for the inevitable."

"It won't matter," Miranda replied. "If Tali's gone then we've _already_ lost Del. She won't recover from it, not when she's already in this fragile of a state. She might decide to ram the _Normandy_ into a Reaper's hull or go on a full suicide run against the entirety of the geth fleet, or, God forbid, take it out on the quarian Flotilla. She will be incapable of making any kind of rational decision-"

"You are _not_ giving her enough credit," Liara said hotly. Miranda just looked sad.

"Liara, I know her inside and out, remember? The only thing worse for that woman than losing her Mei Mei would be losing _you_. If _that_ happened, we wouldn't have to worry about what she'd do next…she'd simply put a bullet in her head."

"I _will not_-" Liara began, drawing herself to her full height, before the sound of the door even registered. It was Miranda's eyes darting that direction that truly drew her attention, and she turned her head to see Del standing there.

"What's going on?" the captain asked warily.

A momentary awkward silence followed before Nan left the bar and walked over to her. "We were just discussing you," she said honestly. "Come in, Del. Have a seat."

"Me?" Shepard asked, stepping over to the bar at Nan's urging. Immediately Miranda stacked up the data pads, then bent and fished out a bottle of whiskey and a glass, pouring a shot.

"We were discussing your condition," she said. "I've got Mordin's research and will be taking over trying to find you a cure."

"Oh."

The shot of whiskey was set in front of her, and Del's hand closed around it before it then loosened again, her fingers drumming on the bar top. "I'm fine," she said, as if someone had asked. "Liara's been helping me. I'm doing a lot better."

"The effect will be temporary," Liara said gently. "Eventually, the process will simply resume."

"Unless the changes in your brain can be reversed or managed," Miranda said, "I agree. You're on borrowed time, Del."

"I've been on goddamn 'borrowed time' since I was born," she said. "I'm fine. Just let me do my work and end this goddamn fucking war."

"No one is going to stop you, sweetheart," Nan told her. "You do what you need to do…just let Miranda do what _she_ needs to do as well. If she can fix this, let her. Let her at least _try_."

Del's dark eyes shifted to her a moment before she nodded slightly, finally picking up the whiskey and downing it. "Fine. I would just appreciate it if the four of you wouldn't talk about me in secret little meetings, taking bets on just when I'm going to go bugfuck, ok? I'll be in the Nest."

"Del, that's not what we were doing," Nan said firmly. Shepard only gave her a look, half scooting the glass back on the bar before she straightened and headed for the door. The older woman started to follow her, but Liara touched her arm to halt her, stepping past and going after her instead.

"Shepard, please stop a moment," she said as they reached the lift. Del gave her a look but did halt, lips tight. Reaching out, the asari gently rested her hands on her shoulders. "We are your friends, Del. You _know_ that is not what we were doing."

"Wouldn't fucking blame you," Shepard said in return. "If my CO was going through this bullshit, fuck knows _I'd_ be questioning her up and down. Just…promise me something."

"Anything."

"If you guys decide to forcibly relieve me of duty, make sure Garrus stays in command, ok? No matter what I might say or do."

"That is _not_ going to happen," Liara told her firmly. "Are you afraid that you are going to relieve Garrus as your XO?"

"I don't know what the fuck I'd do, Tianlán. If I'm out of my mind enough you need to relieve me, than I might just be at the point I'm cursing him just for being a turian. He stays in command, ok? Promise me."

"I promise," Liara said with understanding. "But it will not come to that."

Shepard only glanced moodily away. Eyes softening, Liara lifted a hand and gently touched her cheek, drawing her eyes back toward her. "She will be all right, Del. Tali is strong and smart."

"I know," came the mumbled answer. "I know she is."

* * *

Shepard was ensconced in the CIC an hour before they reached the edge of the Veil. Traynor stood nearby at her station, and had given up the pings for direct QEC messaging. Her voice filled the air with the same message every two minutes exactly.

"Quarian Fleet, this is SSV _Normandy_, please respond."

Two minutes of silence would inevitably follow. Each stretch felt like it was getting longer and longer.

"We have confirmation on the conflict," Liara said as she approached Del. "EDI has picked up clear indications of eezo radiation and traces of weapons-fire consistent with both quarian and geth technology. Within the next ten minutes we shall be able to scan for debris."

Shepard's hands tightened on the equipment railing, but her face remained set. "Traynor, continue your messages. EDI, are you reading any live ships, quarian or otherwise?"

"Radiation levels are too high at this juncture to give a clear reading, however the weapons-fire appears ongoing. It is my conclusion that the battle is continuing, and therefore both geth and quarian ships must still be intact."

"Keep scanning. I want word the instant you have numbers and idents."

"Yes, Captain."

"Quarian Fleet, this is SSV-"

"_SSV __**Normandy**__, this is Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh." _

As the voice filled the air, Shepard's head shot up, and she strode over to Traynor, touching the reply herself. "Admiral, this is Captain Shepard. We are on our way to your coordinates now with a solid ETA of forty minutes. Respond."

"_Radiation is making communications over distance difficult, Captain. We will not be able to maintain this contact long. I am sending you coordinates now. Please be prepared to rendezvous with our shuttle at that location. Daro'Xen out."_

"What the fu-…_Admiral_! Admiral, please respond!"

No answer. Shepard glared, slapping her hand on the console. "Fucking _chun_. Joker, you have coordinates incoming now. Be prepared to pick up a shuttle at that location."

Admiral Xen couldn't even give her _ten seconds_ to see if Tali were all right. No, she had to _order_ her like ordering a dog to heel.

"Traynor, make sure the conference room is prepared. The moment the Admiral's shuttle is aboard send her there to talk to me. Liara, Garrus, I want you there as well. Joker, keep us in stealth until we know what the _fuck_ is going on, and keep tabs on every hostile you can. I don't want the _Normandy_ pulled into this conflict until we're prepared."

* * *

Shepard was pacing the conference room when EDI informed her that the shuttle had been retrieved and that the Admirals were on their way up. Liara could see the human woman tense even more at that: _Admirals_. Plural. Seemed they wouldn't _just_ get the pleasure of Daro'Xen alone.

Standing stiffly at the head of the table, hands tucked behind her back, the only betrayal of Shepard's mood and worry was a faint glitter in her eyes…beyond that, she was every inch the professional. Fortunately for Xen, it was Shala'Raan who was first through the door, already speaking as if she knew just what Del's mood was going to be.

"Captain Shepard, it is good to see you again, and I apologize for the abruptness of the earlier communication. Thank you for meeting with us. To be honest, we are relieved at the _Normandy's_ arrival."

"We have been looking for the Flotilla for quite some time now, and we-"

Shepard broke off as a fifth figure stepped in on the heels of the other four Admirals. She schooled her breath of relief well, but Liara could feel it echoed in the wake of her own.

"_Tali…"_

"Captain Shepard," the young quarian greeted with a polite nod. Shala'Raan looked around, then nodded.

"Captain, forgive me. This is our newest Admiral."

Shepard blinked. "Admiral?"

"Yes, well." Tali ducked her head a little, bashfully. "I've had the most experience with the geth. It's more honorary than anything else."

"Honorary nothing," Shala'Raan replied. "Tali has earned her place."

"I believe it," Shepard said, glancing at the girl a moment with a faint smile, before fixing the others with a look. "Admirals, I must say we were quite alarmed to find that you've engaged in this war with the geth-"

"A war we _were_ winning, until just recently," Han'Gerrel told her. "We've pushed the geth all the way back to the home system. Unfortunately new circumstances have forced the tide out of our favor…namely, it seems the geth have sided with the Reapers."

Seeing Shepard's expression, Raan nodded. "It is true, unfortunately. We have detected a Reaper signal being transmitted to all the geth ships engaged with the Fleet. The geth are responding and reacting with far more efficiency since it began, and the Flotilla is now in immense danger."

"This war was a _mistake_," Shepard said sternly. "You all knew the Reapers were coming, and you decided to throw your forces against the geth _instead_? What did you think they would do when you started to press them so hard? Roll over and surrender? Of _course_ they sided with the Reapers! You're threatening to wipe out all of their people!"

"I would hardly call them _people_, Captain," Daro'Xen said. "They are tools that have gone astray…though I will agree with you on one point. If the geth are utterly wiped out, we will not be able to reintegrate them into our service-"

"That is a point on which you and I most vehemently _do not_ agree," Shepard said dangerously.

"That's as may be. Right now, the situation is as it is. Unless we can stop that Reaper signal, the geth fleet will utterly destroy the Flotilla. We need your aid, Captain."

This was from Zaal'Koris. Shepard's obsidian eyes landed on him, her jaw tightening. "Talk _fast_."

"We have pinpointed the origin of the Reaper signal," he said. "There is a geth cruiser near the far border of the battle, very well guarded. The signal is being transmitted along their tight-beam communications from there. The ship is somewhat damaged but the entire enemy fleet is concentrated to keep it safe. None of our ships can get close."

"But yours _can_," Xen said. "Your _Normandy_ has stealth systems we have not yet been able to implement. You can get close enough to the ship to get a strike team aboard. Find the source of the signal and eliminate it. That should not only weaken the geth forces, but disorient them long enough for us to take them down."

"You want me to help you wipe out an entire species?"

"A species that is now sadly indoctrinated, Captain," Raan reminded her. "We have no choice. If we fail to do this, the quarian people are doomed, and the geth will join the Reapers in their assault on the rest of the galaxy. You cannot afford that any more than _we_ can."

Shepard's hands, resting on the back of one of the chairs around the table, tightened to the point her knuckles turned white. She glanced at Garrus, who nodded slightly, before she looked back at the others. "We have to restrict casualties as much as possible," she conceded at last. "Garrus will show you to the war room. You can communicate with and conduct your ships from there. I'll have Joker head for this cruiser now, and we will not be able to transfer you safely back to your own vessels until it's taken out."

"Captain, if I may…I would like to come along on the strike party," Tali said. Shepard nodded only once.

"Stay here and I'll go over the plan with you then. Garrus, if you could show the other Admirals to the war room?"

"This way, please," the turian said, gesturing at the door. The four elder quarians stepped out, and barely had the door slid shut than Tali launched herself at Del, hugging the human woman tightly. Shepard's return embrace was no less tight, and she lifted the younger woman clear off her feet for a moment before setting her down again.

"I'm so _glad_ you're all right, Mei Mei," she said thickly. "When no one could find the Fleet…"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's…it's a long story, Shepard. But it is _so_ good to see you again. I missed you."

"I missed you too, kiddo," Shepard said, closing her eyes. "I missed you too."


	56. Chapter 56

A/N: I will only say one thing.

Cue ominous music.

* * *

"I wanted to get a message to you," Tali explained a few minutes later, the trio still alone in the conference room. The young quarian was clearly distressed, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "I tried sending you one while you were on Earth, but the Alliance wasn't allowing any through."

"Yeah, I found that out," Shepard said with a sad glance toward Liara. The asari, recognizing Tali's discomfit, reached out and took one of her hands to halt its motion, squeezing it affectionately.

"Barely had I gotten back to the Flotilla than I found out the other Admirals were planning to try and take back the home world. I didn't think we were ready, Shepard. I tried to talk some sense into them, then I tried to at least slow things down a bit…but when Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen get an idea into their heads, they can be more stubborn than you are."

"Why didn't you tell anyone else what you were planning?" Shepard asked. "The Fleet closed out the Citadel inspectors, recalled all of its Pilgrims, and then just _disappeared_."

"There was a concern that the other species, if they found out what we were planning, would put the entire Flotilla under sanction. Outright starting open war with another species, regardless of who that species is…well. They didn't want to risk the interference. Almost the moment we set out the Board implemented martial law. No unauthorized communications were allowed to leave the Flotilla and anything sent to us was blocked. We had very little information coming in from the rest of the galaxy in general…we only heard of the Reaper attack on Earth a couple of weeks ago. I…"

Her voice broke, her head lowering. "When I heard, I…"

Liara squeezed her hand again, Del reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I'm _sorry_, Tali."

"I was sure you were gone, Jie Jie. That I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. We only found out you were still alive a few days ago, just before the geth joined up with the Reapers. The _Moreh_ picked up scattered reports of you curing the genophage on Tuchanka. I begged to be allowed to send you a communication, but…"

She shrugged helplessly. Del nodded her understanding. "It's all right, Mei Mei. I'm just relieved you're ok."

"This war should _not_ be happening," Tali said. "No one wants to return to the home world more than I do, but not like _this_. So many have died already, and for what? What happens even if we do take back Rannoch? How many weeks and months will it be before the Reapers arrive there as well? We'll be so weakened from fighting the geth we won't stand a chance against them."

"I know, Mei Mei, but Koris was right about one thing. The situation is what it is, and all we can do now is try and mitigate our losses. We need to take out that Reaper signal and figure out where we're going from there."

"We should meet the others in the war room," Liara said with a nod. Del looked at her wryly.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to come along on the assault again?"

Liara just looked at her, and Shepard nodded wearily. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

* * *

Standing at the threshold of eternity, Shepard could feel her palms sweating beneath her gloves, and focused on keeping her breathing steady and even.

The _Normandy_ had pulled in as close as possible to the geth dreadnought but those aboard were hardly going to just open their airlock and let someone in, and latching on to it with the _Normandy's_ ramp way was not possible from this access point, nor was it compatible with the shuttle.

The ship had been able to pull in within fifteen feet of the lock, but a gap of empty space still separated the two.

All three women were fully secure against the vacuum, but Shepard's memories of the first _Normandy_'s destruction were making themselves painfully felt. Her eyes kept darting to the oxy-display on her HUD, though she struggled to maintain her air of calm in front of Tali and Liara.

Focusing on the quarian's belt, she clipped on the nylon line. "You ready for this?"

"I'm good to go, Shepard," Tali replied, giving a shaky thumbs up. Shepard tested the connection one last time, then clapped the girl on the shoulder.

"Sending Tali over now on my mark," she announced. "Three, two, one_, mark_!"

Bracing on the edge of the airlock, Tali leapt out, the anchor paying out behind her as she sailed for the hull of the dreadnought. Shepard didn't realize she was holding her breath until the quarian's boots struck the hull, and her chest started to ache. She let out the breath as slowly and inaudibly as she could.

"Tali, you all right?"

_{Easy as crossing the corridor,}_ Tali replied. _{My maglocks are engaged, and I have an access panel. Shouldn't take longer than a minute to get this lock open.}_

Shepard watched anxiously as Tali got the panel open and began to hack the lock. While she thought that she had been hiding her nervousness rather admirably, Liara's hand suddenly resting on her shoulder indicated otherwise.

_Or maybe she just knows me far too well to ever be fooled,_ she thought, her eyes moving between her oxy-display and Tali.

True to her word, less than sixty seconds later, the airlock door on the geth dreadnought began to open, a breath before Tali's triumphant, _{I got it!}_

"Good work. Get inside, we're on our way over."

Reaching over she adjusted the mag-lock holding the anchor rope to the _Normandy_, tightening the line now connecting the two ships as Tali entered the open lock. Clapping Liara on the shoulder, she pointed. "You first, Tianlán. Go!"

Liara hooked her own shorter length of rope to the span, ensuring if she missed somehow she would not drift off into open space. Clipped on, she braced herself, then jumped. She sailed easily across the distance, Tali catching her hand and hauling her in.

_{I am good, Shepard. You are clear to come over.}_

_God fucking save me_, Del thought as she disengaged the rope lock from this end, holding it tightly and taking a deep breath. She could not afford to hesitate. Releasing the mags on her boots she planted her feet, braced, and then leapt, the cord wound around her hand and arm. For a long moment, nothing but the endless heights and depths of space surrounded her, but she kept her eyes focused on the airlock and the two women within.

Her boot came down on metal as her arms were caught and gripped, and she re-engaged her locks. Handing the end of the cable to Tali who began winding it up, she turned and looked at the _Normandy._

"We're clear, Joker. Maintain safe distance and keep this frequency open."

_{Aye aye, ma'am. Good luck.}_

She stepped back as the lock door slid shut and sealed, cutting off the view and allowing the inner door to be opened. The cord wound, Tali clipped it to her belt before she drew her pistol almost in concert with Del and Liara pulling their weapons as well.

"All right, ladies," Shepard said softly as the inner door slid open. "Here we go."

* * *

Shepard had been on geth ships before- well, technically one was a station, but the aesthetic and atmosphere were the same. So closed, so dark, so sweepingly alien, each and every one had a haunted feeling about them. She had never verified it, but she'd bet every last credit she had that the geth built the slopes of the walls and the odd sweeping angles of the floors specifically to disorient and disturb any organic that might come aboard.

Their entry had gone unnoticed so far, but Del wasn't banking on that lasting long. She kept her rifle up and prepared as she and Liara guarded Tali's back, the quarian carefully accessing data points to get a better layout of the ship and locate the source of the Reaper signal.

After the third data point she checked, she spoke up shakily. "I have it. It looks like the signal is originating in a small, aft operations center. Unfortunately it is on the opposite side of the ship from where we now are. I have over two dozen doors that will need to be hacked open to reach it, and from what I can tell, there are hundreds of active geth units along every direct path."

"We can't take out hundreds of geth on our own, and time is of the essence," Shepard said. "There's no alternative way? Maintenance shafts, access vents…_anything_?"

Tali regarded the schematic hovering over her omni-tool, then looked up. "There is one way…but you will not like it."

"Hit me."

"The energy shaft of the dreadnought's main gun runs the length of the ship and would provide the most direct route between us and the source of the signal."

Liara looked at Del, alarmed. "This dreadnought is in a pitched battle with the quarian fleet. A weapon of that size can still fire every few seconds. We cannot walk down the barrel of a gigantic plasma weapon while it is firing…we would be evaporated instantly."

"No, no…the geth actually design their weapons to allow maintenance even while they are in use. There are several alcove areas were we would be out of direct exposure to plasma. It may get hot and uncomfortable, but if we're quick and careful we could make it," Tali said.

"Is it the only way, Mei Mei?"

"It's either that or walk down the main corridors and hack doors while hundreds of hostile geth close in. Statistically, we stand a much better chance with the plasma gun."

"All right, then that's what we have to do. We need to stay very close and move as fast as possible. Once we're there, Tali, I want you to see if you can extrapolate the fastest firing time in the pattern. We'll have to keep our movements to that window."

"Understood, Shepard. The nearest hatchway access is over here. The ladder alcove should give us enough shelter from the plasma and allow me the chance to calculate the firing rate."

"All right. Let's move."

They crossed the room and down a small spiral stairway to reach the access hatch. Checking it for traps first, Tali quickly hacked it and hauled it open. The moment it released, Shepard felt the hair all over her body suddenly rise, a thunder of liquid lightning surging past below. The moment it had faded, she dropped down the ladder.

The alcove was small, and Liara was forced to hang on to the ladder just above their heads, Tali and Shepard still squeezed together. Another rumble of plasma shot past, a whale made of lightning that seemed to sing down Del's spine, rocketing static energy across every inch of flesh. The heat was strong enough to be felt even through her dense armor, and she felt her barriers flare.

"Our barriers are not going to last long under that level of static energy," she said. Tali quickly activated her omni-tool, and a few moments later another shot roared past.

Trying not to think that every single one might be tearing into a quarian ship or even her own _Normandy_, Del waited as patiently as possible as Tali waited four more blasts before nodding.

"Fastest firing speed is thirteen point eight seven standard seconds," she said, lowering her arm. "The alcoves are spaced on opposite sides of the shaft at regular intervals, and each should take only eight seconds to reach from the previous."

"That leaves us just over five seconds to react to the passing of one shot and start moving," Del said with a nod. "Very doable…just don't fucking trip."

"The first alcove is right there," Tali said as she pointed it out. "We can run after the next blast, but it will take Liara slightly longer to finish descending the ladder and start her run."

"Li, once we go get down here and follow us in the next window. Don't take any chances."

"Understood," the asari said. "Be careful, Del."

"You too," Shepard replied, then fought the urge to close her eyes as another blast sailed by. Barely had it started fading than she slapped Tali's shoulder. _"Go!"_

The pair bolted out of the ladder alcove and across the wide hallway, skidding into the next safe area with seconds to spare. Turning around, she met Liara's eyes and gave her a nod, before fixing her gaze to the next safe zone.

The next shot lit up the tube and once more their barriers flashed before collapsing altogether, the alarm beeps filling the air. They made the next alcove, Del almost absently reaching down and switching the alarm off as she watched Liara dart into safety.

_So far so good,_ she thought, but dared not say it aloud. The last thing she needed to do was give her bad luck and the universe's apparent grudge against her any more fuel.

They had six more alcoves to go to make it to the other end of the tube, and then they had to get up to an access way over the weapon itself to reach the corridor directly before the operations center. Focusing her attentions only on each alcove, Del could feel herself pouring sweat by the time they reached the last one. The heat of the plasma felt like it was cooking them alive in their hard-suits, especially with their barriers down.

Reaching the bottom of the access way ladder, she urged Tali upward but lingered. Her HUD flashed a momentary heat warning as the final shot ballooned and then blew past, and instinctively she lifted a hand to shield herself. Moments later, Liara reached her side safely.

Del gave her a quick squeeze of relief. "You all right?"

"Beyond being a trifle hot, I am five-by," Liara said. Shepard urged her up the ladder, following on her heels.

On the other end of the access way, Tali was busy working on the second to the last set of doors. Though she was starting to cool a bit and getting plenty of oxygen, Shepard's impulse was to tear her helmet off and gasp for air. Doing so would be very bad, of course, as the geth had no need for an oxygen atmosphere and there was nothing more than thin, pressurized amounts of certain inert gasses all around them.

Instead she moved over to Tali's side, unshipping her rifle. As the door slid open she and Liara instantly covered the gap, scanning for any hostiles. Seeing none, Del waved Tali forward, the quarian rushing ahead for the last set of doors with the other two women following.

As the doors parted, Del moved forward, clearing the right as Li cleared the left, but there remained no sign of hostiles. They were on a wide catwalk that ringed the room, over some sort of enormous device that was pumping out nearly as much light and static energy as the plasma pulses had done.

"That's it. That seems to be the source of the Reaper signal," Tali said as she reached their side.

"What is it? I've never seen anything like it."

"Neither have I but…" The quarian seemed to hesitate. Sensing more about the girl's silence than mere puzzlement, Del fixed her with a look.

"What?"

"Shepard, I think this may be an amplifying transmitter."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, it's actually _not_ the source of the Reaper signal," Tali admitted. "I haven't seen one designed like this before but I recognize elements. I think it is simply boosting the signal and using the ship's tight-beam array to transmit it to the rest of the geth directly. Its output is so high that it is completely blocking scans of the real signal and its source."

"So what happens if we take this out?" Liara asked.

"The transmission will remain but it will drastically be reduced in strength. The geth will still be under Reaper control, but the loss of power will likely confuse and disorient them and their ships. At best all their defenses would drop momentarily, leaving them completely vulnerable."

"And at worst?" Del asked.

"At worst they'd most likely fall back, regroup. Either way, it buys us more time."

"With this transmitter down we can trace the original signal?"

"I believe so."

"Then let's take this puppy out and get the hell off this dreadnought."

Tali headed for a control panel, quickly accessing it. As she did so, a far door suddenly opened. Del whipped her rifle to her shoulder as forms began to rush in. "We got company!"

She and Liara ran forward, guns igniting as the geth opened fire. Tali glanced nervously their way, but knew better than to draw her own weapon. Right now, the transmitter had to go down, and she trusted Del and Liara to cover her.

There were not many geth entering; chances are, it had been a routine patrol that had simply stumbled across them. Still, as the last one fell, Del knew their time was up. They would have instantly transferred the knowledge of the organic invaders to the rest of the geth the moment they engaged them. They were going to get hell torn down on their heads in just a few moments.

"Tali!" Del called out, forcing the door closed and shorting out its connection.

"I've just about got it! There…the transmitter is powering down and…oh, _Keelah_!"

Rushing back to her side, Del's eyes followed the quarian's gaze. The transmitter had opened as it powered down, part of the top lifting upward as the sides fell open, almost like petals on a blooming flower. Suspended by its wrists and dangling free now…was a single geth soldier.

"What the fuck?" Del frowned, then narrowed her eyes. She saw the N7 slab welded to the unit's chest and realized who it was, even as it lifted its face-light toward her.

"Shepard-Commander?"

"_Legion_? Shit! Tali, can we get him out of there?"

"I-I _think_ so…yes. Here we are…"

As the quarian pressed commands, the equipment moved, swinging the suspended geth over the catwalk before its grip on him popped free. He slammed down to the metal, sagging a moment. Forgetting for a second that he was not organic, Del ran to his side and tried to steady him.

"Easy there."

"You have halted the transmitter," Legion stated as he straightened.

"Yes we did…how the fuck did you get in that thing? _Why?"_

"When the Creators attacked our people, the Old Machines offered us aid. We refused-"

"But then we started winning," Tali said softly.

"Yes. My people feared we would be doomed, and in desperation accepted the Old Machine's offer. We protested, wishing peace. We did not wish our people to become heretics. That is not the way to our future. Our protests earned us a place in the transmitter. The Old Machines used this platform to fine tune their signal to better interface with geth programs."

"They used you as a tuning fork to make the signal more direct?"

"The analogy is not exact, but sufficient. We are grateful to Shepard-Commander for removing us. It was…uncomfortable."

"Not to interrupt, but things are about to get even _more_ uncomfortable," Liara said. "Hostile geth are attempting to get through the door you jammed, Shepard."

"Then we need to get gone. Legion, you know a quick way out of here?"

"There is a fighter bay four decks beneath us," he said.

"We're going to be shooting any direction we go, and I'd rather not go in that plasma cannon again. Let's move, people!"

They hurried across the room and ducked through another door, following Legion. Barely had they entered the corridor, however, than Joker's voice broke in on their comms.

_{Captain-}_

"Joker, we've got the signal off and we're heading down to the aft fighter bay! We need-"

_{No good, Captain, we have a serious situation. You need to hear this.}_

His voice broke off before there was a click. EDI had apparently tapped them into the war room because the next voices they heard were the quarian Admirals, arguing with Garrus. Han'Gerrel was the first to speak.

_{…geth ships are disoriented and weapons are down on the dreadnought! We need to take this opportunity while there's still time!}_

_{My commanding officer and crew are still aboard that dreadnought, Admiral,}_ Garrus replied hotly. _{One of your __**own**__ is still aboard! You cannot open fire on that vessel until they have a chance to evac!}_

_{I will not risk that signal becoming re-active, or the dreadnought's defenses resuming! This may be our only opportunity!}_

"He can't be serious!" Liara gaped.

_{Tali is on board, and Captain Shepard!} _Shala'Raan. _{You can at least afford them a few minutes of time!}_

_{No, it's too risky-}_

_{Admiral, the _Normandy _**will not**__ fire on that dreadnought so long as our people are still aboard!}_ Garrus sounded beyond pissed, his voice rock hard.

_{She doesn't have too. Heavy Fleet, this is Admiral Han'Gerrel. Move in and concentrate all fire on the dreadnought! Take it out!}_

Garrus's furious outburst was lost in Shepard's own shout as she grabbed Tali and Liara and shoved them. "Fuck! _RUN! Legion!"_

"We heard. We must take one of the geth fighters-"

The hull all around them shuddered hard just then, debris raining from above as smoke suddenly poured around them. The jar was hard enough to skip their feet out from under them, and all three women fell, only Legion barely remaining upright. The distant sound of heavier explosions further in the ship punctuated the beginning of the quarian onslaught.

Shepard could hear more shouts over her headset but couldn't make heads or tails of them. Slapping her hand into her helmet she shut off the _Normandy_ feed and surged to her feet.

Explosion after explosion boomed toward them, like the oncoming footsteps of a distant, crushing giant. The ground heaved again, then slanted as they neared the launch bay, before finally leaving their feet altogether.

"Gravity's compromised!" Del shouted. "Get your mag-locks on!"

She pushed off a wall and shoved toward the floor, her boots latching down as they came into contact. Liara moved herself back down with biotics, but Shepard was forced to grab Tali by the ankle and haul her in.

Legion was already at the far door, forcing it open. "We are nearly there," it said as Del reached its side and grabbed as well, straining against the broken mechanism to increase the gap. Looking through she saw smoke and strobing lights over the wide launch floor. They were on the second level catwalk over the launch bay, ranks of geth fighters silently waiting.

The world suddenly compressed hard enough that Del felt her suit crack as a shot from a quarian ship tore into the bay. The blast threw her forward into Liara, pitching the pair off the walk and into the open air. The gravity malfunction, it seemed, was only momentary, for they crashed with brutal force into the bay floor twelve feet below.

Legion landed on its feet nearby, having jumped off the torn remains of the upper level to drop beside them. It grabbed her and hauled her up. "Shepard-Commander!"

"I'm all right," she coughed, pulling Liara up as well. "Li?"

"I am just stunned, I do not believe I am injured," the asari said weakly. Whirling around, Shepard sought out Tali, only to see the young quarian still on the upper level, staring down at them over the railing.

"_Jie Jie, are you all right?"_

"We're fine, Tali! Get down here, we have to move!"

Turning, Tali rushed for a nearby stairway, the rent in the hull nearby shimmering with a barrier…one that was stuttering faintly, only further demonstrating the severe amount of damage the dreadnought had taken. They could be only moments away from an eezo containment breach.

"Go, start up a fighter," Shepard ordered, pushing Liara after Legion before she turned and ran for Tali. Realizing her HUD was flashing yellow at her, she blinked and then groped a hand along her side as she ran.

She felt tears in the reinforced soft joints of the hard-suit, under her arm and on her side. There was another at her waist. They were small tears caused by shrapnel, and when she hauled her hand away she could see blood on her gloves.

The wounds were hardly bad, mere shallow cuts. Putting them out of her mind she picked up speed, nearing the bottom of the stairway just as Tali neared the top.

The hull ballooned out right in the middle of the stairwell. Shepard twisted, one arm flinging upward as layer upon layer of reinforced metal and plastic were torn like wet paper. Somehow, miraculously, she kept her feet.

Tali was not so lucky. On the catwalk just above the rent, she had been thrown off into open air by the force of the blast. Almost as swiftly as the hull burst inward, it suddenly whipped the other way, debris and what little actual flame had appeared blowing right back out into space as the barrier failed to kick in.

There might have been no appreciable oxygen atmosphere, but the inert gasses that filled the geth ship did provide some pressure differential…enough for sudden if brief decompression. Tali, midair and right over the breach, was tiny and insignificant in the wake of this decompression. As if snatched by a lasso, her falling arc halted and she was yanked toward the rent in the hull like a fish on a line.

Del lunged forward without thought, hand stretching out desperately. Time seemed to slow a moment, and she could see Tali's wide eyes behind her face-plate. She could see the indescribable black of space behind her, shimmering with a trillion stars and lit by the blooming explosions of the ongoing firefight.

Her leap was hard enough to break her mag-locked hold on the deck. Her hand closed on Tali's at the same time she passed out through the rent, pushed along by the last of the compression. Just that quickly, both Shepard and Tali were sailing into the void.

* * *

By some miracle, Tali's exo-suit was not compromised…at least if her own HUD was to be trusted. As the side of the geth dreadnought retreated away from them, and as the realization that they were actually tumbling loose and free through space dawned upon her, she noticed something.

A thick white cloud was billowing around Del.

For a moment she simply could not comprehend it, her mind still taken up with their terrifying situation. As she saw the cloud frosting over the front of her face-plate a little, as she saw the brief patterns of ice in its wake, realization slammed into her.

Shepard's oxygen was leaking out of her suit.


	57. Chapter 57

Del had pulled her in close and was gripping her tightly, ensuring they did not get separated. Clinging to her, Tali started frantically looking for the sources of the leaks. Finding one under Shepard's arm, she planted her hand over it to seal it…but more was still billowing.

"Del…your suit!" She hated the frantic, terrified edge to her voice. Shepard shifted her grip enough to plant her own hand over another hole around her waist, and the oxygen cloud thinned a little.

A _little_, but it didn't not halt.

"I'm all right," Shepard said, meeting Tali's eyes through their face-plates. Tali knew it was a lie. The actual oxygen lines weren't cut, which meant she was getting at least some air in her helmet, but the rate at which she was breathing told a different story-that air was thin, and getting thinner. Shepard would have a few more minutes than she would have if her actual lines were cut, but that would be all…just minutes.

_{Shepard! Tali!}_ Liara's voice filled their ears as their comms lit up. Not wanting Del to waste air speaking, Tali quickly answered before she could, trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

"Tali here. Li, we need help!"

_{Legion and I are launching in a fighter now! I have contacted the __**Normandy**__ and EDI is doing a sweep trying to locate you. Is Shepard with you?}_

"She's here, we're together," Tali said. "Tell the _Normandy_ to hurry. I'll try and get my omni-tool activated…they can use that signal to hone in on us."

Now clearly suspicious that Tali was the one speaking and not Del, Liara's voice was barely schooled fear as she spoke again.

_{Tali, is Shepard injured?}_

"I-I don't believe so. If she is, it's minor-"

_{Tali, tell me what is going on…why is Del not speaking?}_

"She has to conserve her air," Tali said hesitantly. "Looks like some shrapnel compromised her suit and she's losing oxygen."

_{Goddess! Del, hold on…we are coming to find you. Everything is going to be all right.}_

Tali managed to get her omni-tool active, then pressed her helmet to Del's, trying to see her face past the frost. "I'm here, Jie Jie. I'm not leaving you alone."

She could see Shepard fighting to slow her breathing down, her watery brown eyes meeting Tali's as she gave a shaky smile. Still moving carefully so as to keep the suit tear she was covering sealed, Tali linked her HUD to Del's so she could monitor her vitals and oxygen levels.

_{Tali, this is Joker. We've picked up your omni-tool signal and are moving to your position. We are on the other side of the dreadnought and we've got some heat over here, it's going to take a few minutes but we'll get there as fast as we can.}_

"Understood," she replied, keeping her voice steady. "Are you able to pick up our suit vitals?"

_{I have link-in now,}_ he said, and in the long moment of silence that followed, she carefully switched her comm over to private line, so Del would not hear their conversation.

"You see it too," she said. "At the rate she's losing air she'll be depleted in less than two minutes. Please tell me you'll reach us before then."

_{We're going to do everything we can, Tali.}_

"I know you will. Liara left the dreadnought in a geth fighter-"

_{We've got her coords. She'll reach you before we will but they have no way to get the pair of you on board safely.}_

"D-Don't tell her…th-the amount of time she has, I mean. Promise me, Joker."

_{I promise, Tali. Dr. Chakwas is coming on the line. She'll maintain contact with you until we can get you on board.}_

_{Tali? Are you injured?}_

"I'm all right. I'm not even cold yet. Just a bit…scared out of my mind."

_{I understand. The important thing is to stay calm. How is Del doing?}_

"She's breathing rapidly. I think she's trying not to panic," Tali replied, and tightened her grip on Del's arm.

_{Can you link us? Don't let her speak.}_

"One moment."

Tali re-established the comm between suits. "Del, Dr. Chakwas wants to talk to you, but she doesn't want you to talk, ok? You have to conserve your air."

Del nodded weakly and Tali tapped Helen in.

_{Del, I know it's difficult, but try and slow your breathing down as much as possible. We've got your suit display on monitor here. Signal to Tali yes or no to each of my questions, all right? Are you feeling dizzy?}_

Del nodded and Tali replied, "Yes."

_{Are you feeling cold? Numb in your extremities?}_

A nod, and Tali's response, "Yes."

_{You need to do your best to relax, Del. No one is going to leave you two out there. Remember your training. Breathe as slow and shallow as you can, try and slow your heart rate. Close your eyes if you need to, pretend you're just floating in water. The __**Normandy**__ is on her way. We'll be there soon, Captain.}_

Tali could see Del visibly struggling to relax, to slow her breathing down. Though her face wasn't clear through the fog and frost, Tali thought she could see it changing color. She switched back to a private line.

"I think she's turning blue, Helen. That's…that's not good, is it?"

_{She's got about forty seconds of appreciable oxygen left. Likely she's going to pass out on you, Tali. We're hurrying as fast as we can. You should see Liara's fighter approaching to…to your upper left.}_

Tali turned her head that direction. She could indeed see the small fighter coming their way. As Helen switched back to talking to Del and trying to help her relax, Liara's voice returned.

_{Tali, we see you.}_

"I see you too. Helen is talking to Del but the _Normandy's_ not going to be here for several minutes."

_{We cannot pick you up but Legion had an idea. We are going to try and tow you. Stand-by.}_

_Tow us?_ Tali blinked, then watched as the fighter slowed. Like most geth ships, it was very insectile in appearance and had several belly appendages that looked much like stubby legs. The ships used those to anchor themselves on landing points, which let them land on anything from sheer walls to the sides of cliffs. As she looked, the legs started to extend, fanning out. The fighter started to slowly edge forward, and just then the grip Del had on Tali's arm suddenly went lax.

"_Del?"_ Alarmed she turned her attention back to the human woman.

_{Tali, Del's lost consciousness. Her air reserves are gone. Is the fighter there?} _Chakwas.

"Y-yes, they said they were going to try and tow us," Tali said shakily, feeling her eyes heat with tears as she noticed the thin white clouds of venting oxygen had completely ceased. "Del, h-hold on. Just _hold on,_ we're getting you help. _H-hang on_, Jie Jie…"

_{Tali, we're going to approach as slowly as we can and pass right beside you. Do you still have the guide cord on your belt?}_ Liara asked.

Tali's hand groped down, finding the magnetic line they'd used to cross from the _Normandy_ to the dreadnought. "Yes."

_{We'll try and get one of the landing struts in reach. See if you can get one end of the cord to attach to it, and we can pull you two and meet the __**Normandy**__ half way. How is Del?}_

Tali couldn't tell her she'd lost consciousness and was completely out of air, but neither could she lie to Liara. So she simply said, "We need to hurry."

Unfastening the loop of cord, she wound it around both her and Del's waists, tying a knot so they were secured together. Activating the other end, she prepared to toss it as the fighter edged even closer.

Though the small ship got as near as possible, there was only so close they could come. While it was designed to be extremely maneuverable, two humanoids floating in the depths of space were incredibly tiny targets. If the fighter even accidentally bumped them it could mean severe injury or even death to both women.

As the fighter went still, Tali took a deep breath and tossed the end of the line. Her first attempt missed. Drawing the nylon back in, she tried again. This time, the magnetic fasten thudded into the side of one of the extended legs, and stuck. She gave it a hard yank to make sure it was solid.

"I have it Li! We're attached!"

Instantly the fighter began moving again. The rope tightened around the pair as Tali wrapped her arms around Shepard, hugging her close.

"Hang on," she said again, her voice soft and thick. "We're almost home."

Being pulled along behind the fighter was an experience the young quarian never wanted to endure again. Even with the time they had to wait now cut in half, it felt hours had passed since Shepard had lost consciousness. Tali could only hold her tight and whisper to her, trying to ignore the tears on her face.

Finally the _Normandy_ appeared, its cargo bay door swinging open. The fighter was much too large and oddly shaped to actually enter, and seeing the situation Tali quickly began to untie the knot, unwinding the rope from around them. Holding tight to Shepard with one hand and the now loose rope with the other, she waited until she was in perfect trajectory with the open bay, and let go.

Carried by momentum, the two women sailed unanchored over the last hundred yards. She could see the pale shimmer of the atmo barrier over the bay entry, several forms waiting behind it. As they drew closer, the forms became recognizable. Chakwas and her medical team, Vega and Cortez, Traynor and Garrus.

Just as they passed through the barrier, Tali ducked her head as if expecting to hit a stone wall. Instantly the ship's artificial gravity took over and they began to fall toward the hard metal ground, their momentum carrying them nearly halfway across the bay floor before they crashed down. Tali barked as the impact blasted her air out, and lay weakly gasping for a moment. A heartbeat later, hands were surrounding the pair, drawing them apart. Tali was helped up into a sit, one of the medics peering at her worriedly.

"You're safe now. You ok?"

"I'm fine," she said weakly, coughing a moment and brushing them aside. Another set of hands appeared and helped her to her feet…Garrus.

"The fighter is moving in to link at the helm airlock," he said. Tali barely heard him, her eyes on Chakwas.

Helen had not bothered trying to move her, merely rolling Del onto her back right where she lay. By the time Tali turned to face them, Shepard's helmet and breast-plate were off. Her skin was ashen, her eyes and lips blue.

Gripping her face, Chakwas arched the woman's head back a little, then forced her jaw open. A small mask-like piece of equipment with a tube was passed over, and she forced the tube down Del's throat, covering her mouth with the bulky device. Two appendages automatically lifted and clamped Del's nose shut as a hum came from the machine.

The device was called a PAP, short for 'positive air pressure'. Instantly Shepard's chest lifted as air was forced into her lungs, but it did not drop again, the flow of air constant and measured to keep her lungs inflated at all times. CO waste was pumped right back out of them and through the mask in a continuous flow. It was as if she inhaled and exhaled in one constant, endless breath.

"Is she alive? Is she-" Tali heard herself ask. Garrus's hand tightened gently on her arm.

"Let them work," he whispered.

Chakwas fastened a scanner to Del's forehead before she demanded a knife. Vega passed one to her, the doctor slashing through the chest of Del's bodysuit, baring skin and sports bra. A needle that seemed as long as Tali's forearm was produced and rammed unceremoniously into her chest, the force of it making the poor young quarian jump and half-sob in response.

As Helen pulled the needle out of Shepard's heart the lift slid open, Liara rushing in at speed. _"Del?"_

"Hey, hey, not so fast Doc!" Vega intercepted her, swinging an arm around her waist and halting her just as she caught sight of the limp Captain and the medics. A faint sound escaped her, before her hand clamped over her mouth, tears spilling down her cheek.

If Helen had noticed the asari's arrival, she said nothing and did not pause a moment in her work. Reading the scan on her omni-tool of Del's vitals she suddenly leaned over, and cupped Shepard's cheek a moment. "C'mon Captain. _Right now_."

Her hand lifted and lightly slapped the woman's face, the gesture sharp but little more than a hard pat. Shepard reacted to it as if she'd been punched, her eyes flying open. Immediately she groped toward her face and attempted to roll on her side. The assistant grabbed her wrist as Chakwas forced her onto her back again, preventing her from tearing off the PAP mask.

"No, no, Del, none of that! It's all right. I know it feels strange but you _are_ breathing. Just relax."

Shepard's confused brown eyes danced over Helen's face a moment before recognition set in, and she relaxed.

At Helen's nod, Vega released Liara, who immediately dropped down beside the captain. Allowing a moment uninterrupted for the frightened asari to reassure herself, Helen then lightly touched her arm.

"She'll be just fine," she said. "I'm going to take the PAP off now but I want to monitor her in the infirmary for an hour or two, just to be sure."

Looking at Del she said, "Captain, I'm going to take this off your mouth now. You're going to want to cough but you should be able to breathe on your own."

When Shepard nodded weakly, Chakwas switched off the mask and lifted it off, drawing the tube out of Del's throat. As predicted, she gagged and then coughed, before taking a deep, ragged breath.

Ducking her head, Tali turned and hugged Garrus, struggling in vain against sobs of fear and relief that finally broke through.

* * *

"The dreadnought is down," Daro'Xen said as she looked up from her display. "The geth forces are withdrawing to regroup at the far edge of the system."

"Pull our forces back as well," Korris replied.

"We can't retreat _now_," Gerrel protested. "We _need_ to press our advantage-"

"Right now the only thing we need to do is regroup ourselves and assess our damages," Raan told him sternly.

"I am in command of the Heavy Fleet, Raan, and-"

"If you send the Heavy Fleet in now you will have no support from the rest of us," Korris said angrily. "We have heavily damaged live ships and a great deal of wounded. We don't even know how many of our vessels still have functional weapons or guidance systems. We have been fighting for several days without a break…we _need_ to regroup!"

"The geth have suffered a terrible blow and we outnumber them now," Xen pointed out. "With the reaper signal cut off we _will_ win this war. A day or two longer before we press the attack is not ill-advised."

Gerrel glared, but conceded. "Very well. Draw the fleet back and we will regroup. I will grant forty standard hours to make repairs and do reconnaissance, and then-"

The door to the war room snapped open and Garrus strode in, followed very closely by Liara. The asari quickly strode past the turian, her fist lifting.

Biotic energy whipped out and encircled Gerrel, lifting the startled Admiral off his feet and ramming him back into the wall with force.

The other three Admirals, shocked, stepped back a pace or two as Liara closed in on the pinned leader of the Heavy Fleet.

Seeing the look on her face, Miranda- who had been lingering nearby silently- quickly headed forward, her own biotics brightening as she froze Liara mid-stride.

"_Let me go!" _

"Not until I'm sure you're not going to kill him," Miranda told her. "You're not a murderer."

"What are you doing?" Gerrel demanded, recovering his wits. "Release me at once! The Fleet will not stand for this-"

"You _ordered_ your fleet to fire on that dreadnought while we were still aboard!" Liara's eyes were almost glowing with danger. "You not only nearly killed the captain of this ship, you nearly killed one of your _own Admirals_!"

"We had to take that dreadnought down while we had the chance! We could not risk that signal or its weapons becoming operational again-"

"Your scans would have shown there was no chance of those weapons reactivating quickly, and you simply had to ask _us_ in regards to the status of the signal! You could not give us _two minutes_?"

"I knew Shepard's capabilities and I knew she'd find a way off safely. I was right-"

"_Her suit was compromised and she nearly died!"_

"I have _thousands_ of lives I'm responsible for, asari-"

"As far as I am concerned, what you did was attempted murder!"

"Let me go, or what you're doing _now_ will cause a diplomatic incident between this ship and the quarian people. We _will not_ stand for this-!"

"_Who_ will not?" Tali suddenly asked from the doorway, stepping in. "You tried to kill us, Gerrel!"

"Tali, that's not-"

"Not true? I was spaced in a battle zone with Shepard! I had to watch her as her oxygen ran out, hoping that someone would get to us in time! You were perfectly willing to throw our lives away, you _bosh'tet_!"

"Sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the good of the many! I do not apologize for what I did-"

"That is probably what is the most infuriating," Raan spoke up. "I am with Tali. Shepard went over to that dreadnought to help our people, in a war she had no reason to involve herself in. She put her life on the line for us, for the Flotilla, and you could not even afford her a few minutes to leave the disabled dreadnought."

"Li, let him down."

Every head in the room turned as Shepard walked in to the room. She still looked a little pale, but that was the only visible mark of her ordeal.

Liara's eyes narrowed. Del was supposed to be under observation in the infirmary, but it seemed her stubborn streak held true. When she hesitated, Shepard cleared her throat sternly.

"Li. _Now._"

Miranda dropped her hold on the asari, and with a scowl, Liara lowered Gerrel back to his feet, letting her biotics die. Gerrel inclined his head toward Shepard as Del reached Liara's side.

"_Thank_ you, Captain. I knew that you of all people would understand that sometimes, hard calls have to be made."

"I _do_ understand that," Del said coldly as she moved toe to toe with the taller quarian Admiral. "You know what _else_ I understand? I understand that you are so goddamned hard-up with hatred for the geth that you are willing to sacrifice the lives of your people and allies to achieve their extermination. I understand that you are so _goddamned self-absorbed_ that you would rather throw your resources away to reclaim a home world you'll only end up losing to the reapers in a few weeks' time, rather than to join the rest of the galaxy to put a _stop_ to that threat."

"Captain, I don't have to stand here and-"

"I don't care that you risked my life, Admiral. I really don't. But you made a big goddamn mistake when you tried to throw away the lives of my _friends_. Garrus. Get this pìyǎn off of my ship."

"Now wait a minute-!"

Del's look turned black. "You want off my ship or would you rather be tossed in the brig? I'm not just an Alliance Captain, Admiral. I'm a Spectre, _and_ I have diplomatic treaty powers that put me more or less in the role of an Ambassador as well. I can charge you under Council law for what you did. I'm giving you _one single chance_ before I do that, and you're only getting that because I happen to care more about the quarian people than _you_ seem to. I know that they need you right now. That doesn't mean _I _have to _fucking_ look at you for a second more! Get. Off. My. _Ship_! And count yourself fortunate I'll let you use a shuttle to do so instead of booting your ass _right out an airlock._"

Gerrel was trembling with what was clearly fury, but he found no support in those glaring at him…not even from the other Admirals. Even Xen said nothing, only watched him with folded arms. After a moment, Garrus gestured.

"This way, Admiral."

His glare burning into Shepard's a moment, the quarian said nothing more. Stepping past her, he strode out of the war room with the turian close on his heels.

Shepard closed her eyes momentarily before she straightened and looked at the others. "I understand the geth are regrouping?"

"Yes, they are retreating to the far side of the system," Xen said calmly. "We are calling the Fleet in to regroup as well, effect some repairs as we plan our next step."

"Good. While we were aboard the dreadnought we discovered that the reaper signal was not being transmitted from that location, but rather amplified. Tali can give you more information on what we found but we need to pinpoint the true source of that signal and take it out."

As Tali stepped forward to the table, calling up an image of the amplifier they had found on the geth ship, attention turned to her. Del remained where she was a moment. An arm slid around her waist. She could feel Li shaking a little.

Lowering her head, her skull ringing with pain, Del closed her eyes.


	58. Chapter 58

Spinning in the void, clinging to Tali as her air grew thinner and thinner, Del was overcome with the memory of her first encounter with such an ordeal.

Alone over Alchera, the remains of the _Normandy_ falling away like petals around her, and that voice- hearing _Liara's_ voice soothing her, never leaving her alone even in her darkest moment.

Here, there was another voice- one grounded solidly in the physical.

"_I'm here, Jie Jie. I'm not leaving you alone." _

Alone. That's right. This time, she was not alone. Tali was with her. Liara was coming. The _Normandy_ was intact and close by. They would never leave her out here by herself, and even without oxygen, Helen would be able to revive her after several minutes. _More_ minutes, in fact, than a normal person would have in this situation, as the nanites would work frantically to keep her brain tissues alive and healthy for an extended time after oxygen deprivation would usually cause irreparable damage.

She was going to be fine. She _would_ be fine. The vacuum had not conquered her once, and it was _not_ going to this time.

At Chakwas's urging, she struggled to slow her breathing, but blossoms of white and red were starting to swell in her vision. She could feel consciousness slipping away from her, that familiar burn starting in her lungs as her oxygen began to fade.

The blossoms seemed to grow and gain softness and definition, until they were actual flowers, each petal and vein marked in stunning detail. The endless infinity of space, Chakwas's voice, Tali's grip on her arms…all of that melted away with a stunning swiftness- but the flowers remained. She began to hum Liara's song to herself, the final dregs of air allowing the sound only momentary audibility.

_Standing on the slope of a hill crowded with crimson poppies and white daisies, Del looked up into a cobalt sky, feeling the air move past her face. There was bright sunlight, but it seemed to emanate from all directions and not a single, traditional source. On the far horizon, however, billows of black smoke from a wildly burning landscape surrounded her on all sides. _

_As it grew closer, she moved up the hill away from it, looking around with growing alarm. The hill was encircled, all escape routes cut off._

"_Liara?" _

_Liara should be here, shouldn't she? She said she was coming. She wouldn't leave her here alone!_

"_Liara?"_

"_That's such a lovely song." _

_The voice did not belong to the asari, and seemed to encompass the smoke, moving with the drift of the embers. Del whipped around, eyes seeking along the smoke as she tried to find the speaker contained in it. _

"_Who are you?"_

"_Such a lovely, lovely, __**clever**__ little song!"_

"_What the fuck is going on? Where's Liara? Where am I?"_

"_Ah, I see it now-"_

_Something seemed to grasp hold of her, reaching in with invisible fingers and clenching around her skull. Shepard fell to her knees under the flash of horrific pain that seemed to split skin and bone. All around her, the tornado of smoke had consumed everything but the small patch she knelt on. The flowers clustered about her legs were withering and shrinking, starving for light, cooking in heat. Miles above, a tiny quarter sized patch of the blue sky still visible abruptly began to turn green._

_Tears of fire spilled down her cheeks. Desperate against the pain, Del looked up at the sky and began to shout , incomprehensibly at first, then with more cadence, pattern, and meter-until she was frantically shouting the same tune she had been humming before. Above, the sky flickered back to blue, then green, and finally back to blue._

_The smoke began to draw back. Not much, just a little, and Del sobbed in relief as the pain eased slightly._

_Disembodied, a hand snatched out of the whirling embers and clamped sharply over her mouth, forcing putrid air into her body. She gagged and tried to recoil, but it held tight._

"_None of that now," the voice said with gleeful malice. "__**None of that**__!"_

Shepard revolted with a spasm, groping blindly for the hand over her mouth, only to be grabbed.

"No, no, Del, none of that! It's all right. I know it feels strange but you _are_ breathing. Just relax."

Chakwas. That was Helen's voice. Blinking rapidly, Shepard realized she was lying on hard metal, faces swimming overhead. As she focused on Helen the dream broke away, melting from memory like so much ice in the sun.

_Normandy_. She was on the _Normandy_. She'd been on the dreadnought, and there was an explosion and…space.

Then nothing. She must have passed out.

As she relaxed, her eyes sought among the crowd. Spotting Tali unharmed with Garrus, relief dizzied her head. A moment later, Liara was there, her very presence like a warm blanket settling over her. Hands cupped her face, fingers lightly gripping her hair as Liara touched her forehead to Del's. Shepard felt the heat of a tear slip over her temple, and was unsure if it was hers or the asari's.

_I'm ok_, she wanted to say, but could not speak with the tube in her mouth. Her head ached and throbbed but she was alive. She was fine. The vacuum had lost its prize once again.

Deep inside her head, however, she could feel a knot of cold that was not warming…and at the edges of her senses, there was the faint and inexplicable scent of smoke.

* * *

"This is remarkable!"

Daro'Xen's voice was full of lustful greed as she stepped around Legion, examining the still geth as if she were a varren inspecting a wounded pyjak, measuring it for consumption. The moment he had stepped into the war room, she had fixed on him like a child on candy.

"A fully intact and functional geth soldier! Captain, it will be invaluable in our efforts against the geth forces. What we learn from its systems could-"

"_His_ name is Legion, and he is not up for dissection or study, Admiral." Shepard's voice was stern and cold, but Xen barely arched a brow.

"_His_ name? Interesting. Do you assign gender roles and personal pronouns to your oven as well, Captain?"

Shepard stepped forward with a glare that would have made a krogan hesitate. "I have already put one Admiral off my ship, Xen. Shall we go for two? Legion is not a 'thing'. He is not an 'it'. He is not an oven or a toaster or a goddamn mechanical slave made to kiss your feet. He is as alive and aware as any of us, and he has done more to secure the safety of this galaxy than _you_ have. You _will_ show him proper respect, and if I think you or your people have so much as _breathed_ on him or scuffed his pads, you _will_ face the bulk of my wrath."

"I wouldn't do it, Admiral," Garrus said dryly, trying to lift the mood. "Her wrath is prodigious."

"Fine," Xen said coolly. "I think you are misguided and giving up a treasure trove of research, but your ship, your direction, Captain. I will do as you say."

"Good. Now. Thanks to what Legion has told us and our scans we have pinpointed the continuing Reaper signal that the dreadnought was amplifying."

She turned to the console, drawing up a holographic image of Rannoch, highlighting a location. "It's here, somewhere in this city. We won't be able to pinpoint it any closer until we're actually on the surface."

"This will be troublesome," Raan said. "The city is huge, Captain. Even with a portable scanner it could take hours to pinpoint the exact signal location. Most of the geth are in their ships, but some still remain on the surface, and there are considerable defenses. We will not be able to approach in a ship of any size, and a ground team will be in extreme danger once they pass the walls."

"We'll have to take a shuttle down to this location." Del indicated a spot of wilderness outside of the city zone. "That will put us just outside the bulk of defenses and won't risk a ship. After that, Legion has a plan."

"There is a geth server hub just within the city walls," Legion said. "Ifwe can access the hub, we can use it to locate the exact source of the signal, and to disable the geth associated with the servers linked to that hub. That will pacify all ground forces for twenty kilometers and allow us to address the signal generator."

"Why don't we just bomb the thing from orbit?" Korris asked. "Bring the heavy fleet in."

"There are scrambling devices as part of their defense network. You'd never get a solid lock on the city," Del told him. "Not to mention the moment you started firing the geth fleet would move in again."

"Paint it with a targeting laser then. Drop the small strike team, have them paint the city wall with the laser from a safe distance, and-"

"And the geth fleet still tears into us," Raan said. "Not to mention, we don't know where in the city this signal source _is_. It could be protected behind twenty feet of blast-resistant shielding. It could be buried kilometers beneath the surface. We could wipe out the city and _still_ not eliminate the signal. We have to be sure."

"Legion's plan is the best," Shepard said. "I'll lead a strike team to infiltrate this hub and locate the source. If necessary I can paint it and the fleet can take it down, but if it's possible I'd far prefer taking it out _without_ massive orbital bombardment."

"Captain, have you considered the geth might just be leading you into a trap?" Korris asked. "Luring you to the surface to be captured or killed?"

"Firstly, I trust Legion with my life," Del told him. "Secondly, what would be the logic? Kill me and the fleet bombards from orbit. Hell, take me _hostage_ and the fleet will _still_ bombard from orbit. Just let Han'Gerrel have his way, he clearly has no problem with that."

"My people sided with the Old Machines to prevent extinction at the hands of the Creators," Legion said. "The geth do not wish this war. The geth only wish to build their future. Shepard-Captain understands this. We have no desire to harm our friend."

Del tapped the console firmly. "We're going with Legion's plan, and the sooner the better. Time is ticking until both fleets are recovered, and I want that signal stopped before you all start shooting each other again. Liara, you and-"

"I am coming as well." Tali stepped forward, shoulders squared. Del looked at her sternly.

"No. I put your life at risk once already, Mei Mei. Your people need you safe."

"And miss out on what may be my only chance to set foot on the home world?" Tali folded her arms defiantly. "I _don't_ think so. I am going, Shepard."

Shepard weighed the coming argument, the time it would take and the most likely inevitable resolution of it, and decided she didn't have the time or the temper to deal with it. It was easier to simply capitulate now.

"Fine. Arm up. We launch in ten."

* * *

"Liara, do you have a moment?"

The asari paused, glancing around as Helen headed her way, a look of concern on her face.

"I am due to drop on Rannoch with Shepard in just a few minutes, Helen. I need to get down to the cargo bay. May we discuss this when I return?"

"Best to do it now, I don't want something happening down there…"

That got Li's attention. "Is something the matter with Del?"

"Not beyond the usual, I don't think but…I have an odd feeling, Liara. Something a bit strange happened when Del was spaced with Tali, and my gut tells me that it's more than what it seems to be."

"Something strange?"

"Yes. I was talking to Del when she lost consciousness. Urging her to stay calm, reassuring her that we were not going to leave her out there alone. Just before she fainted, she started humming again- that same song she says she is writing for you. Odd time to be working on a song don't you think? Vocalizing it? Especially when every breath of air is precious?"

"Yes, that is odd. Music soothes her- perhaps it was her last attempt to remain calm, to relax?"

"That's possible…even _likely_, yet something in my gut won't let it be. I don't…I really don't even know what I'm warning you of. I just have a feeling it meant something more, something important. Just…watch her down there. I know you will anyway, but keep an especially close eye on any out-of-place behavior, no matter how insignificant. It'd set my mind at ease."

"Of course I will, Helen. Thank you for telling me this."

"I won't keep you any longer. Be safe down there, Liara. Keep _her_ safe."

* * *

Though Tali knew better than to allow herself to be distracted in a hostile situation, a small voice in the back of her mind was constant, overwhelmed with awe, hope, fear, and a myriad of other emotions she had no name for.

_I'm standing on the home world. I'm standing on _Rannoch_._

She had seen the old vids of course, ancient images, but none of these compared to the reality. The craggy cliffs weeping moss, the arcing of tree branches, the rustle of leaves. Images and vids couldn't portray the particular shade of slate and blue of the ocean, nor the sound of it as it rumbled and murmured and then thrashed against the rocks far below. The sun, and the clouds, and the plants, and the dirt beneath her feet-dirt she could not feel because of her suit-_all_ of it she had seen a thousand times over on a thousand different worlds.

But none of those were home. _This_ was home. Her world.

Rannoch.

And she was _here._

They paused near a small, gravelly stream after they had taken out a small geth patrol. They had discovered traps- sensitive mines planted along the path. Without Legion, they would have walked blindly into them, but he had recognized the particular, faint ultrasonic signal. He had cleared those mines in the nearby vicinity, and had gone shortly ahead to ensure the path to the nearing city wall was also clear.

Crouching by the stream, Tali dipped her hand in the water, stirring it about a little before coming up with a handful of silt.

"Are you all right, Tali?" Liara asked.

"I-I'm fine, I just…this is really _Rannoch_. This water, this mud…this is all part of the quarian home world. Part of _me_."

"It must be overwhelming."

"It is. I can't believe I'm here and yet…part of me is terrified. We have been out among the stars for so long, can we really come back to a planet? How will we adjust?"

Del joined them. "Through sheer stubborn will."

Tali straightened. "I know…I know that we _will,_ but it will be difficult. I feel…I'm not entirely sure _what_ it is that I feel. I never dreamed I'd actually be on Rannoch. Most quarians haven't. How are we going to settle down? Build houses? We've gotten so used to carrying our homes around with us-"

Shepard suddenly crouched, her gloved fingers fishing up a small stone that was resting just at the water's edge. About two inches in diameter, water-polished but uneven in shape, it was a faint bluish-gray, run through with tiny lines of white and pale yellow. Straightening, she reached out and took Tali's hand, placing the stone in her palm before closing her fingers around it.

"It's a start, right?" she said with a soft smile.

Tali lowered her head, feeling the emotion closing her throat for a breath as she looked down at the rock in her hand. It was true. It would take time, years, before they could safely build homes, walk here without their masks and suits on. And first, they had to actually take the planet back.

For now though, this was a start-just a pebble, as most journeys began with just a step- but a start nonetheless.

"Shepard-Captain, the path is clear," Legion stated at just that moment, appearing over the faint rise of the path. Del turned and nodded as Tali slipped the rock into the pouch at her side.

As they headed forward to join the geth unit, Liara lightly touched Tali's shoulder, smiling to herself.

* * *

The door rumbled open smoothly, much to Del's surprise. Given the state of this sub-area of the city, she had expected to hear the grinding of dirt, the squeal of rust.

_Of course that wouldn't happen. Whatever the disrepair in the stone walls, the geth need to get in and maintain their own servers. They wouldn't let even acces ways to them fall into decay._

It was only very dimly lit within. Omni-lights switched on, boot-steps crunching faintly in dirt and chips of stone as they entered.

As the light passed over metal, Shepard's eyes narrowed, her shoulders tensing. "Legion-"

"You are in no danger, Shepard-Captain. These platforms are idle and not in use."

Ranks of silent geth soldiers and Primes stood in even lines around them, unmoving but incredibly unnerving. Shepard wasn't placated.

"They're idle _now_. How fast can they become active?"

"Within less than four nanoseconds, Shepard-Captain, once a threat is detected," he replied, which hardly put her at ease. "However, we will use the computer system to block access ways to the platforms, and they will not become functional."

He stepped over to a wide bank of equipment, and powered it up, switching on more lights. Lowering her weapon hesitantly, Shepard walked up behind him, glancing over the other items standing there. Several seemed to be rather large vertical pods of some unsure purpose.

_Transport maybe? Packing pods to ship the Primes to another location for repair or repurposing?_

"Access to the platforms is now blocked. Shepard-Captain, we will need your assistance."

"What's up?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

"This server is infected with advanced Reaper code. Full integration of ourselves into the server will result in an infection of this code into our platform and assimilate us into the Reaper indoctrination. We cannot risk this. The infected code must be purged system by system from within, before we can locate the source of the signal, close those systems down, seal off remaining communication points, and purge the server."

"It has to be purged from _within_?"

"Yes. Any other method would require a completion time of several weeks."

"Well _that's_ fucking spectacular! How are we supposed to purge the system from within if you can't get in there to purge it without becoming indoctrinated?"

"You will have to enter the Consensus, Shepard-Captain."

Tali, Del, and Liara all had the exact same response in mind, and spoke it simultaneously. _"What?"_

"I can't enter the Consensus! I'm not a geth!"

"Affirmative. However, you have an integrated bio-synethetic communications and networking system within you that can interface both with your brain's electrochemical signals, and with our technology."

"The nanites," Tali realized. "The nanites will allow you to integrate into the Consensus."

"Yes," Legion said.

"_No!"_ Liara scowled as she stepped over. "If that server is infected with Reaper code, what is to stop that indoctrination from taking over Shepard via her nanite network, if she attempts to interface?"

Legion's light fixed on her. "The Reaper code is formulated specifically for geth technology in the Consensus. It is not an indoctrination procedure that would work on human physiology or cybernetics. The programming is incompatible. Shepard-Captain is in no danger from the Reaper code."

"Will I even be able to navigate in there?"

"We cannot integrate fully and risk ourselves, however we will be able to communicate with and guide you. We can shut down individual systems and sections as you purge them of the code. We will provide an interface to assist you that is familiar to accomplish this goal."

"What about all the geth in the servers? What will happen to _them_ once the system is purged and the hub shut down?"

"They will be lost," Legion replied, and damned if he didn't sound crestfallen. "However, significantly more of our people will be saved. If we do not take this course of action, _all_ geth will be lost."

"All right then. We can't waste any more time. What do I have to do?"

Legion instructed her, then activated and opened one of the odd pods as Shepard removed her helmet and weapons-pack. Her lips were compressed in a grim line, but her dark eyes were as determined as ever.

"Are you sure about this, Shepard?" Liara asked, her own worry more than evident.

"I trust Legion. If he says I can't be affected by the Reaper code, then I can't be. This is our only shot to finding and getting at the source of that signal. It's a risk I have to take, Li."

Armor shed, wearing only her bodysuit now, Del stepped toward the pod that Legion indicated, Liara at her side. Pausing a moment, she lightly brushed her fingers over the asari's cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I will be watching." Liara lifted a hand, resting it on Del's and closing her eyes. Leaning forward, Shepard placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stepped back.

"See you soon."

She stepped into the pod, turning to face the front. There was a molded niche in the pod, bipedal in shape though obviously formed with a geth platform in mind. It was awkward fitting her arms and the higher ridge of the geth waist cut into her back slightly, but she managed.

She tried to breathe slowly and evenly as the front of the pod began to close. Just before the view of the asari was cut off, she gave Li one of her lopsided smiles and a quick wink. Then, the pod was closed, sealing with a hiss. Before her was a transparent panel which still allowed her to see outside, though the view was slightly distorted. Within, it smelled of musty metal and something dimly and vaguely organic…like loamy earth.

"What do I do, Legion?" she asked, her voice echoing around her.

"We are preparing the interface now. You will see lights, Shepard-Captain. Nothing will touch you. Do not be alarmed."

"Got it. Let's get this show moving."

She could see both Li and Tali peering in at her, and gave them what she hoped was a reassuring smile. A moment later, the light inside the pod began to brighten slightly, and then flash. She took a deep breath.

Colors seemed to explode, and just that fast, the world vanished.

* * *

Liara saw Del slump ever so slightly, her eyes falling shut, and pressed a hand to the transparency. "Is she all right?"

"She is entering the Consensus," Legion said. "Her vitals are strong, she is in no danger. We have accessed a dual interface which will allow you to hear her communications."

"Can she hear us as well?"

"Negative. It will receive only."

"Is it strange that part of me is jealous of her? To actually be…_inside_ technology. I can't imagine it."

Liara looked over as Tali spoke, before the young quarian reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

Shepard never truly lost consciousness. Instead, she felt as if she dropped suddenly into an elevator the moment the colors exploded, the flashing rainbows merging into one painfully brilliant white light. She lifted a hand against it, feeling nothing of the molded plastic around her. Her hand, which should have bumped the door of the pod, instead swung freely into position, but did little to shade her aching eyes.

"_Holy shit_ that's bright!"

"You are adjusting to the interface, Shepard-Captain."

"Yeah, I think…I think it's fading now."

"Be advised, Creator Zorah and Liara-Professor can hear our exchange, but cannot communicate to you directly."

"Got it."

She lowered her hand as the light became tolerable, her surroundings settling in and coalescing. Though she had stripped out of her armor before entering the pod, she seemed to be dressed in her full hard-suit, weapons-pack on her back. Looking down at herself, she pressed one hand to her pads. It felt completely solid and real.

"Weird," she said, then looked around. She was standing on some kind of balcony or promontory, a set of glass steps leading down in front of her. Each step was suspended in perfect defiance of gravity. Sailing into the distance in every direction was an enormous city. It looked, in fact, rather a lot like New York…if Manhattan had been created of nothing but light and colored glass. The light made it seem as noonday, but the sky- if that _was_ a sky above her- had the cast of midnight. Trillions of stars shimmered overhead, but they weren't just stationary. Many of them zipped or dodged or sped along zig-zags and geometric shapes.

Gaping around her, Shepard shook her head. "Tali, I wish you could see this."

"Creator-Zorah expresses similar desires, Shepard-Captain."

"Do _all_ geth servers look like this?"

"You are perceiving our Consensus in a way that seems familiar to you. Your interpretation of our reality is yours alone."

"Fucking _unreal_." Then she thought of something. "Legion, there are thousands of geth in here with me, right? Will they look the same?"

"You will perceive geth in a variety of incarnations, depending upon their current functions, interactions, or programs."

"So they could be anything?"

"To your perceptions, yes. They could appear as almost anything. Do not be alarmed, however. The geth you encounter will not be hostile."

"You're sure about that?"

"Yes. No organic has ever entered the Consensus. That expectation, coupled with the interface we have created for you, will cause you to be perceived as another geth. For the moment, Shepard-Captain ...you are one of us."

"I'm honored. So what exactly is it I'm looking for?"

"The form of the Reaper code will be as individual to you as your perceptions. However, as the code is static programming, it will maintain its appearance once recognized. It is doubtful the appearance will be that of a life form given its nature. Any such living forms you encounter will be geth. As in organic dream symbology, the Reaper code will appear in a manner consistent with your personal associations."

"Not all of us are symbologists, Legion," she said, looking down the glass steps. She seemed to be about a hundred feet above ground, over what looked like Central Park- if the ancient sculptor Dale Chihuly had created it, working in partnership with Nikola Tesla. "Plain Galactic, please?"

"If you consider the Reaper code a form of imprisonment, you will see it as a form of imprisonment," he said as she gingerly tested the first step with her body weight. "If you consider it as a form of hostile control, you will see it as-"

"A form of hostile control, got it. What happens if I fall here, Legion?"

"Gravity has no meaning in the Consensus. It is based on your expectations. You will not fall unless you expect to fall, and you will not be injured as your physical body will remain unaffected by the impact."

"Good to know. Once I identify this code, what do I do?"

"You should have a means of destruction on your person."

"I have guns."

"Liara-Professor expresses no surprise at this. That would be an expected means of destruction given what we know of your personality. Once the code is identified, simply shoot it. Once an area is clear, we will purge that location and close the system behind you."

She drew a rifle, now standing solely on the first step, which seemed to be holding. She moved to the second step with a nod. "And the Reaper signal?"

"We are searching the server for information regarding it now. We will inform you when it is located."

"All right. I'm moving out. Er…_down_. I'll let you know what I find."

Gaining more confidence in the steps as none gave away under her weight, Del picked up speed, and soon landed on solid ground in the middle of the electronic Central Park. Trying not to gape around herself too much, she started walking, searching among the oddly twisted spiral trees and crystalline flowers for anything that might scream out 'Reaper code!' to her.

She paused a moment as she passed a particularly large tree- its branches jags of crimson and yellow that seemed to spark lightning up to the sky- before she focused her concentration with a shake of her head and continued on.

As she moved into the distance, a form stepped around the tree, lips curling into a knowing smile.


	59. Chapter 59

Standing in the server room, Liara did her best not to pace nervously. Being able to hear Shepard through the console where Legion was working helped, but seeing her so limp and silent in the pod unnerved her all the same. Of course, it was not helping that she was literally surrounded by geth, unpowered though the ranks of platforms might be.

"_Legion, you said anything alive I saw would actually be geth, correct?" _Del's voice sounded hesitant, drawing Liara's attention back to the console.

"That is correct, Shepard-Captain."

"_Ok, and you're absolutely __**positive**__ they'll be non-hostile?"_

"Affirmative."

"What is she seeing?" Liara asked.

"Liara-Professor is inquiring as to what you are seeing," Legion said.

"_I'm in what looks like a version of Central Park. There are two men coming toward me. Blue Shirts."_

Liara instantly understood Del's hesitation, but Legion was confused, looking around at Liara. "The color of their raiment is of concern to Shepard-Captain?"

"Blue Shirts are law enforcement officers in the city that Del grew up in. She had several unpleasant encounters with them as a child."

"Understood. Shepard-Captain. Given Liara-Professor's description of 'Blue Shirts' it is likely these are geth whose primary function is that of encryption or security coding protocols. They will not harm you."

* * *

Del wished she could be absolutely positive about that, and forced herself not to lift her rifle. Their clothing was enough to put her slightly on the defensive, but it was their otherwise alien nature that truly disturbed her.

They were human…or rather, caricatures of humans. Both were identical; huge men with massive arms and big hands. Perfectly square jaws, thick necks, cauliflower ears, crew cuts. Everything about their faces and features looked made of hard, angular plastic…even the bristles of their hair. Their brows were sharp ridges, so low they appeared eyeless. The edges and points of their jaws seemed sharp enough to cut with. They looked like children's toys, or cartoons somehow made real.

Each stood at least two feet taller than she did, striding toward her with every motion, every swing of their arms, performed completely in sync.

She forced herself to stay put, her weapon lowered. The two men approached…and then passed without so much as a glance in her direction. She blew out a breath, turning and watching them stride off, and shook her head.

"I'm fine. They completely ignored me. I'm moving on toward the city. I haven't seen anything yet that might be the Reaper code."

"Understood."

She kept walking. Though the two 'Blue Shirts' were the first moving creatures she had seen, as she left the thicker part of the park and reached an open area, she became aware of several more. People drifted here and there over the grass or along the pathways (here, the pathways shimmered and seemed to move like incredibly slow electronic streams instead of being hard stone). All appeared human, but all had that odd hard-plastic caricature appearance. A few more Blue Shirts, identical to the first two, marched past. What looked like a woman with brassy, wild curls stooped over a small figure that was reading a book.

That startled Shepard as much as the Blue Shirts had. "Legion? Do geth have _children_?"

"We are able to create new geth programs. We believe you would view this as a form of reproduction. A new program still being formulated may appear to you to be a 'child'."

"Well fuck me." Del shook her head, staring in wonder at the kid. _Must be what the book is. I'm watching a new geth program being formulated, educated._

Both Mother and Child ignored her as she stepped past, never straying from their intent activity.

Just past them, a silver block stood on a little wide square just off the path. Emanating from the sky and falling onto the block (or emerging from the block and shooting into the sky, it was impossible to tell), a sheer golden light rained both downward and upward, each infinitesimal sparkle of it an individual number. Millions of them, trillions of numbers, every one microscopic and yet every one Del could see with perfect clarity.

_Mathematics_, she thought, recognizing the effect instantly. When David had gained control of her body at Overlord, all Del had been able to see was an endless golden wave of mathematics, identical to this though in a far larger scale.

_It's a fountain of mathematics._ For some reason, the idea made her smile, and she craned her head toward the sky, seeking out its source. If there was one, it was far away and long past the scope of her vision. From her vantage, the light merely continued on among the stars until it narrowed into a pinpoint and then vanished.

Much as she wished to linger, tempted almost to find out what would happen if she stepped into that beam, she forced her concentration back on her mission, and continued on her way.

As she neared the edge of the Park, she felt a sudden niggling itch between her shoulder blades. Pausing, she glanced back.

Mother and Child were still there, as unmoving as statues. Beyond them, the other blocky figures kept on about their work. Stars zipped and darted in the strange sky, and the glass trees shone and rippled with their slow light.

Nothing seemed out of place, yet for just a moment she'd been positive she was being watched.

_This place is fucking with my head_, she thought, and continued on her way.

The buildings were tall-far taller than any building in the real New York-and completely smooth. Like everything else, they seemed sculpted of glass and shone with some internal, shifting glow. The streets were obscenely clean, and it felt like the surface beneath her boots dented slightly as she walked on it…as if she stepped on some kind of firm gel rather than concrete.

A few of the buildings had what appeared to be ivy scaling their sides, the vines and leaves sinking and emerging out of the actual surfaces to which they were clinging. Those tendrils that were completely free seemed to be moving as well, wavering slightly like weeds under water.

_Reaper code. Keep focused. You're looking for Reaper code_.

Motion drew her attention again. A caricature of a janitor stood on the far corner, holding on to what looked like an old-fashioned water wheel fastened to the side of the building. He was moving it with intent pulls of his hands that should have been spinning it like a top. Instead, it only jerked a little and then returned to its original position.

Nearing him, Shepard realized the opposite end of the water wheel was chained, dark iron links wound about the spokes and bracing it to the ground. Unlike everything else, the chain actually looked real- metal and dull and dark, instead of glass and light.

_That's it. That's got to be it. Chains._

"Legion, I think I've identified the Reaper code," she said as she lifted her rifle.

"Affirmative. You may begin destruction."

She aimed, then hesitated a moment. "Legion…what if I'm wrong? What if this is actually some function of the Consensus? What will happen if I shoot it and it's _not_ the code?"

"What you perceive as a gun is a program specifically designed to counteract the Reaper code. It will not harm our systems directly. If it is not the code, there will be no effect."

"Good to know," she said, and shouldered the rifle, taking aim on the links. "Here we go."

She fired, but no bullets rattled forth from the weapon. Instead, a bright beam of golden lightning snapped through the air. Despite its appearance, the chain shattered as if it were glass, the edges melting and eating away as the lightning spread along its length. After a moment, Del released the trigger and the remnants of the chain both wound on the wheel and attached to the concrete began to dissolve.

The wheel, now free, spun properly in the janitor's hands. Shepard grinned.

"I got it. It's gone."

"Affirmative. Reaper code in your section has been reduced. Continue and remove all such objects you see. When your section is clear we will lock it down."

"Copy that. Moving on."

As she turned around and continued on her path, her unseen follower moved out of an alleyway. The ivy clinging to the building seemed to shift and reach out, and a hand brushed over dancing tendrils lovingly a moment.

* * *

The deeper she moved into the city, the more chains Del saw. Hanging from fire escapes. Wound around hydrants. Draping from buildings. Crossing roads. All that same black flat iron, and all dissolved spectacularly under the yellow lightning she dealt forth.

Legion warned her that she had cleared a section and he was about to shut it down. Curious, she turned around.

The street behind her and Central Park in the distance suddenly went dim, and then dark…and then seemed to melt and fade away. Yawning blackness ate up the asphalt all the way to the street corner a few yards away, then halted. Beyond the now broken edge of the city…there was nothing.

Suddenly, Del remembered the Mother and the Child, and felt a clench in her gut. All those people she'd passed getting here…all of them were gone now. Their lives and part of their world just switched off like someone turning out the lights after leaving a room.

_You're saving their species, Del. This has to be done, and you know it._

"Shepard-Captain, the first section is powered down. Please proceed."

"Have you found the location of the signal yet?"

"Negative, but we are close. Estimated time to retrieval, five point three standard minutes."

Shepard started on her way again. A large length of chain was draped overhead almost like a clothesline, crossing the wide and empty avenue. Aiming at it, she tore it apart, the shattered pieces dissolving before they hit the ground.

It seemed an eternity passed as she went street by street, and two more sections were powered down behind her. Legion reported that he had the location of the Reaper signal's source. All that was left for her to do was to finish purging the system.

Destroying a chain that had broken through the window of a pharmacy, Del stepped back…and then paused. Her head lifted, nostrils flaring slightly like a deer that had suddenly caught wind of a predator.

Music. The first music she'd heard since stepping into the Consensus. It was faint, but it was there- and it was _familiar_.

Looking around, she noticed a run-down building that looked starkly out of place. Like the chains, it was flat and dull and more real somehow. A stuttering neon sign hung above a crooked, yawning doorway. Boards were nailed over broken windows, yellow flyers made of actual paper still pasted to what glass remained. Sickly vines of ivy clung here and there, winding around the chipped and cracked pillars holding the roof above the porch.

Shepard stepped forward a bit, rifle to her shoulder, and fired at the building. The lightning licked out, lapping like an eager tongue over the structure, then faded, leaving no damage behind whatsoever.

The neon stuttered and flashed.

She took a few more steps forward. She could see drifted leaves now, discarded cigarette butts, littering the chipped stoop- the first sign of any kind of clutter or garbage in the city. Part of one of the yellowed flyers was now readable. TONIGHT ONLY! It declared in screaming letters. Just below that, it said, CHARLES FLATWOOD, LIVE!

"The _fuck_ is going on? Legion? I have a bit of a situation here."

"Shepard-Captain?"

"I'm standing in front of what looks like a shitty dive bar. I can hear music inside. It looks different than the rest of the city…grimy, and _real_…like the chains. I tried to fire on it but nothing happened."

"Accessing. Reaper code is not present in your immediate vicinity."

"Then what the fuck is this thing? I mean, it's advertising Charles Flatwood for fuck's sake! Is it taking this from my head?"

"The Consensus takes nothing from your head, Shepard-Captain. You only perceive it with a filter of familiar imagery."

"Then _what the hell_ am I looking at?"

"We are uncertain. We are blocked from that particular code with an unfamiliar firewall. We are attempting to access. Liara-Professor expresses concern and urges you to proceed with caution."

"I'll be careful," Del replied, moving a bit closer to the building. The music was from a guitar. It had struck her as familiar before, but had been so faint she could barely make it out. Now, as she neared that open doorway, she managed to pinpoint it.

It was the song she was writing for Liara. Part of it, anyway…just the chorus, repeating over and over again. Pausing at the stoop she looked up at the blinking neon sign.

It was the Chinese characters for _Tianl__á__n._

Curious, bothered, but far from stupid, Del did not step into the doorway. Fuck only knew what was waiting inside, and everything about the building screamed TRAP.

_A dive bar promising Charles Flatwood, with Liara's name spelled out in neon over the door? Yeah. Fucking __**trap.**_

Still, she leaned forward, and damned if she couldn't smell cigars and fried chicken wafting out.

"Something is _seriously_ fucking wrong here, Legion," she said, and took a few steps back, distancing herself from the door. "What the fuck is this?"

"Still attempting to penetrate the firewall. Shepard-Captain, the coding does not appear to be of geth design, nor that of the Old Machines."

"If it's not geth and it's not Reaper, then _what the fuck is it?"_

"I do not yet have enough data. Stand by."

Del's rifle snapped back up to her shoulder as a form stepped out of the darkness of the gaping door. Like the club, this form was not a hard, plastic caricature of a human being. It was a woman, real and apparently as solid as Shepard herself was. For a wild and crazy moment, she thought it actually _was_ herself- some doppelgänger produced out of her own head.

Scuffed jeans and boots, short dark hair, tannish-red skin-…but no. The woman was at least four inches taller than Del, her hair less utilitarian and more fashionable. The face, though similar in a vague respect, was definitely _not_ the mug that greeted Shepard in the mirror every morning. The nose was far too long, brows higher and thinner, chin sharper.

"Who are you?" she demanded. The woman smiled and pointed behind her toward the door.

"Aren't you going to come in?"

"I think I'll pass, thanks. _Who are you_?"

"You really should come in. Enjoy a drink, and the music."

"_Who __**are**__ you?"_

"Wonderful music. Such a lovely, _clever_ little song," was the reply, and ripples of green appeared beneath the woman's skin, her dark eyes lighting up with eldritch fire.

As they did, the ivy vines on the columns also seemed to light up, flaring a brilliant emerald. They thickened, swelling like a muscle being flexed. An octopus reaching for prey, the vines snapped out around the strange woman's shoulders and flew toward Del, eagerly seeking.

* * *

"_**Jesus fuck!"**_

Del's shout sounded tightly terrified, and without thinking, Liara moved to the console, forgetting that Del could not hear her directly.

"Shepard! What is happening!"

"Shepard-Captain, what is occurring?"

"_I am in an extremely hostile situation!"_ Del was breathless, sounding as if she were running. "I am being pursued by…_fuck_! I'm being pursued by what looks like green vines of ivy…they're breaking out of buildings and the streets around me!"

Tali looked at Legion, whose face panels were shifting and flapping in clear alarm. "I thought you said nothing in there would be hostile!"

"Shepard-Captain-"

"They're being controlled by a woman who came out of the bar!"

"Shepard-Captain, these forms are not geth. We have identified the foreign code -"

"Let me fucking guess! _It's the goddamn Tide_!"

Liara went pale. "She is in there with the _Tide_?"

"Wh-what's the Tide?" Tali asked.

"We are unfamiliar with that designation. Cross-reference indicates it is an AI code recently implemented into the Kahje defense network and temporary areas of the galactic extranet. My people have briefly encountered it upon monitoring-"

"_Yeah, that's the fucking Tide_!"

"You have to get her out of there," Liara said urgently.

"We are unable to. Shepard-Captain, we cannot extract you until the server is purged. We cannot shut down the system until all the Reaper code has been eliminated. You must remove the remainder of the code in order to exit the Consensus."

* * *

A wall overhead exploded in a rain of vanishing glass shards, disgorging a veritable forest of green vines that swept eagerly for her. Shepard skidded beneath them, tearing her arm away from the eagerly winding tendrils. One brushed over her face and it felt oddly greasy, slippery somehow. Repulsed, she swept it away frantically and bolted to her feet.

"We are unable to. Shepard-Captain, we cannot extract you until the server is purged. We cannot shut down the system until all the Reaper code has been eliminated. You must remove the remainder of the code in order to exit the Consensus."

How the fuck was she going to find _chains_ while running for her goddamn life? Turning down a side street her head and shoulders suddenly jerked back, her feet skipping out and sweeping up in front of her. One vine had lassoed her around the neck, yanking her to a halt as easily as a fish on a line. Her rifle fell and spun away over the smooth street, and she crashed back hard onto the ground. At the impact, the loop around her throat slopped greasily over her face, slipping free and losing its hold.

Coughing, she rolled and snatched hold of her rifle, but dozens more vines were sailing in. One momentarily coiled about her arm but a quick tug and she was free…_easily_ free.

_The fuck?_

Dozens slipped and groped over her as she tried to withdraw, but none seemed able to catch or keep hold. That greasy feeling came back when another oozed over her cheek.

Slippery. That was it. They were all too slippery to gain any friction. They couldn't actually get hold of her.

Brushing them away she retreated back, and, panting, tried to put it together. The answer came like a bolt out of the blue. _Of fucking course!_

"I think I'm ok," she said, still backing up a bit. "I don't think I'm in any real danger. Miranda said the Tide protocols were based on tech from Overlord and from Harbinger's communication techniques. Li, do you remember? She said I couldn't be taken over by the Tide because they'd already adjusted my nanites to compensate for those protocols."

"Liara-Professor remembers and expresses her relief."

A thick tangle of vines was still emerging and reaching for her. Whether or not they could harm her was one thing…but they were creepy as all hell and she had no desire to let them touch her again. She kept moving back from them. "What I want to know is how the fuck the Tide got into this server!"

"We do not have enough information to reach a conclusion," Legion said. "Creator Zorah has alerted the _Normandy_ and the Creator fleet to secure against infiltration from the hostile signal. Liara-Professor believes the Tide must have transferred to this location after leaving Kahje."

Spotting a chain attached to a window nearby as she continued to backpedal, Del lifted her rifle and took it out. "If we succeed in shutting down this hub, will that eliminate the Tide?"

"It will eliminate Tide presence in this hub. As other programs, the Tide cannot function in an environment with no power. However, it will not eliminate the source of the Tide, nor will it clear other infected hubs if they exist."

Well, it was too much to hope for. Del would just have to work her way around and get this server shut down, and they could go from there.

The tendrils weren't all that smart but they seemed to be learning. They were going after her with less intensity before, their surges in her direction far less eager and more lethargic. Stepping over and around a nest of them writhing like drunken snakes on the ground, Del blew away another chain, finishing clearing the section.

She watched with some relief as another wide swath of the world was shut down, blacking into oblivion.

"That is disconcerting to watch."

Shepard whipped around, weapon snapping up instinctively. The woman from the bar was there, a few feet away, her eyes endless pits of green fire.

"For fuck's sake, _who are you_?" she demanded.

"I think you know."

"Your Tide has no effect on me!"

An irritated incline of a head, then a smirk. The woman took a step forward, grabbing the barrel of the rifle and wrenching it aside. "Your weapon has no effect on _me_," she said, and cold talons of pain erupted in Del's skull.

She cried out, dropping to her knees. It felt like her head was being crushed between two massive clawed hands. For a moment she was seized with a feeling of déjà vu.

This had happened before.

_Such a lovely, clever little song!_

But she could not think of when or _where_. Could not think of much at all, what with the roaring pain and the heady, strange smell of smoke.

Then the pain was gone, the invisible crushing hands releasing. She collapsed to the ground, gasping, staring up at the flashing, darting, busy little stars far above. A moment, two, and then she rolled over, seeking out her attacker.

The woman was on the far end of the walk, waves of green pulsing under her skin. Her demeanor was that of someone drunk, or exhausted. Del staggered to her feet, picking up her rifle. The scrape of metal over the ground, and the woman turned her head. Her eyes were still on fire, and seemed to blaze brighter a moment.

Then a flash of light, and she melted back, merging into the building, transforming into mint-colored darts of light that swept upward and were gone. Ears ringing, Shepard became aware of a voice.

"Shepard-Captain! Shepard-Captain, respond."

"I…"

She staggered dizzily, slapping at an ear that felt full of cotton, and shaking her head sharply.

"Shepard-Captain!"

"I-I'm here, Legion. I need…I need to get this last section closed down. I'm ok-"

"We find only a 45.3% probability of the accuracy of that statement-"

"_I'm fine_! Just…just a little dizzy, is all. It's clearing. I need to get this done."

"Hostile Tide code appears to have left your location."

"Yeah, she's gone for now I think. I'm moving on."

"You assigned a gender pronoun to-"

"I'm _moving on_, Legion, we can discuss this when I'm done clearing this code!"

A pause. Then a soft, "Affirmative, Captain. Continue on."

* * *

"The final section has been purged. Shepard-Captain, we are prepared to complete the full server shutdown. Proceed to the exit."

Liara could feel the relief Legion's words brought, and immediately stepped over to the active pod. Del was still slumped, her face as relaxed and serene as if she only slept.

"Exit? I can't see anything, everything is dark."

"It will appear similar to the method at which you entered the Consensus," Legion replied. A brief pause, then Shepard's voice returned.

"I see it. A platform and stairs. I'm to it. Heading up."

Legion looked around. "Shepard-Captain is emerging from the Consensus. Stand by."

In the pod, Del's brows knit momentarily, as if unwillingly stirred from sleep. As her lashes began to flutter, the pod door began to open.

Ducking past it, Liara half-stepped into the pod, catching hold of the human woman as she weakly straightened, eyes cracking open. She slung an arm around the asari's shoulders, leaning on her as Liara helped her out.

"Are you all right?" Tali asked, and Shepard squinted at her.

"Yeah, I just…head is spinning a little, that's all."

"Take it easy a moment. I have you," Liara said. Del tightened her arm around her love's shoulders, giving her an affectionate squeeze and a weak grin.

"Yeah, I know you do, babe."

"Shepard-Captain, the server hub is offline."

She peered at him. "And the Tide?"

"The Tide code remaining in the server was eliminated at shut-down. We cannot say if the Tide remains in other areas of the Consensus. We are…alarmed, that the Tide is influencing our people."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, from what I saw the Tide was fairly idle, and when it wasn't most of its activity was directed at _me_. She may only be in the servers to observe. It's possible she cannot take over a system where the Reapers are already an influence."

"You have a second time assigned a gender pronoun to the Tide," Legion said. "We are curious as to your motivations."

"I'm not referring to the Tide, not really. The Tide is…it's just a part of the whole. It's not the controlling mind, not a stand-alone entity. It's like fingers responding to the commands of a brain…the fingers require the brain but the brain doesn't need the fingers, if that makes sense."

"You saw her then?" Liara asked in a hushed voice. "Our suspicions are confirmed?"

"I saw her. Or what something wanted me to think was her, anyway."

"Who? Who did you see?" Tali asked, bewildered. "Her who?"

"My sister, Inna."

"You have a _sister_?"

"Long story, Mei Mei. Right now we-"

She had straightened, her head having steadied, and Liara had loosened her grip on her. The first flash of light drew the asari's attention and as she looked around and saw the source, she grabbed hard at Del's arm, a gasp escaping her. Del immediately spun, instinctively groping for a pistol on her hip…one that was currently set aside with the rest of her armor.

All around them, lights were winking on in the dark.

The geth were coming to life.


	60. Chapter 60

AN: Yeah, you guessed it. Still very left-of-canon!

* * *

"Shepard-Captain, you are in no danger!"

"The fuck is going _on_, Legion?" Del's voice was taut, both weary and warning at the same time. She was about full up to her fucking eyeballs with surprises today. Her pistol was in hand, pointed at the easily dozens of now active geth surrounding them. Tali and Liara had weapons in hand as well, the three women having closed in until they were practically back to back.

"You are in no danger," Legion said again, moving around to step between Del's pistol and the nearest geth unit. "These are the geth from the server hub. We transferred them to the platforms as each section was cleared and turned off-line. They are no longer under the influence of the Old Machines."

"Why didn't you _tell_ me that's what you were doing?"

"We apologize for the deception, Shepard-Captain. We did not believe you would allow us to do so were you aware of our plans."

Shepard's scowl deepened as she straightened, lowering her pistol. Reluctantly, Tali and Liara mirrored the action. The geth had made no move forward or to draw their own arms. They seemed to simply be watching.

"You didn't think-…Legion, you think I _like_ taking life needlessly?"

"We are synthetic. You are not."

"_You're alive, goddamnit_! You think and feel and are self-aware, and you have as much right to live as anyone _else_ in this sorry goddamn galaxy! I know what it feels like to need to save your people, Legion. If I had known there was a way to do so I'd have been all for it. You didn't need to lie."

"We…" he paused, then gestured weakly. "We made a miscalculation, Shepard-Captain. We are sorry."

"All right. Okay, well…what's done is done. You managed to save them and that's the important thing."

"They are no longer under the influence of the Reaper code, and are unaffected by the Tide," Legion told her. "We are at your command, Shepard-Captain."

That surprised her. She'd more expected Legion would send the units somewhere safe, or get them out to join their fleet as it regrouped. Having an entire army of geth troopers and Primes at her command was unexpected.

Handing Liara her pistol, she picked up her armor and began to pull it on. "You have the location of the Reaper signal?"

"Yes, Shepard-Captain."

"Show me."

She fastened her breastplate and pulled on her weapons-pack as Legion's face-light brightened, casting a holographic image of the city in the middle of the floor. The picture zoomed, focusing on a sort of amphitheater or depression just on the outskirts. It was impossible to miss the huge sealed blast doors covering it.

"So it _is_ underground," Tali said.

"That makes things problematic." Del frowned, narrowing her eyes as she considered. Full orbital bombardment would take a lot of power and munitions to even start penetrating that bunker, and the moment the quarians started bombing, the indoctrinated geth fleet would re-engage them. The only way to prevent that would be to halt the indoctrinating signal- but to do _that_, they needed to destroy that bunker.

"All right, orbital bombardment is not going to be effective with those doors closed. We need to figure out how to get that bunker open and go from there. Let's start heading that direction, and we can go over our options when we have more intel."

Her headache was returning in force, those damn clusters of face-lights shining at her in the near-gloom prodding it right back to the roaring forefront.

Almost physically shutting the ache to the back of her head, re-suited and re-armed, Del led the way to the surface streets again. She didn't know if it was a lingering effect of the Consensus or simply her headache, but everything had a surreal feeling about it…as if she weren't quite in sync with her surroundings.

_Surreal? Why could this __**possibly**__ feel surreal? You're only moving through an ancient city on the quarian home world with an entire company of geth, looking for a reaper indoctrination device, after having just survived an encounter with some weird half-sentient hostile AI that is controlled by a sister you never really knew you had. What's surreal about any of that?_

She touched her radio. "_Normandy_, Shepard. You are secure against the Tide?"

_{Affirmative, Captain. EDI has her security protocols on high alert and we have warned the quarian fleet. They are starting to implement measures but so far it doesn't seem that there's been any attempt on their systems.}_

"Good, keep me updated. We have the location of the reaper signal source. It's in a sealed underground bunker. We're going to try and get the blast doors open. Depending on what we find, we may mark a full orbital bombardment. Make sure the fleet is on standby, and let me know the moment those geth ships so much as twitch."

_{Aye, ma'am. Will do.}_

* * *

They encountered no opposition through the remainder of the city, as the majority of the geth still remaining were now on their side. As they neared the bunker, Legion carefully accessed a network link-up, using EDI's protocols to first secure himself against the Tide as well.

"We cannot identify the source of the signal," he told her after a moment. "However, it is confirmed it is originating from this area. We have access to the blast doors. Shall we open them?"

Del gestured to her team and to the geth, drawing her rifle as she did so. The large group fanned out, weapons snapping out left and right as they prepared themselves.

"_Normandy,_ stand by. We are opening the bunker now."

_{Roger that. Standing by.}_

Del nodded to Legion once.

"Opening blast doors."

There was a low, rumbling hum, and the huge slabs of reinforced metal parted and began to slide open. Dust trickled down from the rim of the depression, the ground shaking ever so slightly as the machinery pulled the portal wide. The doors slid slowly into their housings and fell still again.

Silence reigned. Del could only see a crescent of darkness in the pit the doors had bared. She edged forward, the muzzle of her rifle lowering just a hairs-breadth, and she narrowed her eyes.

Dark metal lifted out of the pit, jointed and articulate like the leg of a giant insect. The instant she saw it, familiarity slammed through her.

"_Fall back! Fall back now!"_

A great, rumbling trumpet tore through the air, loud enough she could swear she saw the ripple of sound waves in the atmosphere. The articulated leg gained purchase, a second and then a third sweeping out of the hole before lifting the bulk of the massive body with it.

Del fired a spate of shot at the thing, knowing she could not harm it but hoping it would at least focus on _her_ as the others retreated, then turned and ran herself. Concrete and stone rent and tore and her feet left the ground momentarily as one of the legs reached up, crashing into the overlook.

"Go!" she shouted at the others. Some of the geth, Legion included, were lingering, firing as well toward the beast hauling itself out of its nest. "_Legion, go!"_

En masse, their forces fled back away from the pit, Shepard slapping her helmet.

"_Normandy!_ The source of the signal is a reaper destroyer! It is emerging on the surface now and we are under heavy attack! Prepare for full orbital bombardment!"

_{Affirmative! Captain, we need that reaper painted for a precision strike, otherwise we can't risk firing. The entire city would be decimated, with you inside it!}_

"Understood!"

They ran to ground-level, the reaper now almost fully extracted from its nest. It blared again, the soul-rending trumpet seeming to shake her very cells. Unbidden, the memory of floating in the harbor, watching a destroyer as it took out the evac shuttles, flashed across her mind. One of these smaller reapers may not be as large as a Sovereign-class, perhaps…but Del, her crew, and the geth were still little more than ants in comparison. Ants that were being targeted by some young bully's magnifying glass, at that.

Crimson light swept through the ruins just overhead, tearing through ancient buildings and sending debris pouring down toward them. Tali cried out as a large chunk crashed into her shoulder, throwing her to the ground. Snagging her by the waist, Del bodily hauled her up, half-carrying her along with them.

"Shepard-Captain, there are ground vehicles ahead and to the west," Legion said, catching up with her. "We will cover your retreat-"

"No! I want _everyone_ on those vehicles! We have to clear this area so the fleet can bombard!"

"Shepard-Captain-"

"_That's an order, Legion! _Pull your people back _now!_"

The geth who had paused to fire back at the reaper now disengaged, running to join them as Legion gave a silent order. Less than a hundred yards and a few dozen eternities further on, they reached the vehicles- heavily armored trucks rather like the MAKO but without the turret.

Those geth that could fit moved aboard. Shepard briefly touched Legion's arm as he stepped aboard, pointing at the driver's seat, then helped Tali up and inside. Turning and catching hold of Liara, she helped her up and in as well, then waved another pair of soldiers on after them.

She saw Legion's face light looking back at her and she gave him a slight nod, then stepped back. Before anyone on board could realize Shepard was not getting in as well, the door swung shut and sealed. Twin rooster tails of dirt lifted as the treads dug in, the vehicle charging away, a second one with the rest of the geth following close. The Primes, much too large to fit inside, either ran behind the trucks or held on to their sides.

Once Liara and Tali realized Del had stayed behind to paint the target, they would do everything in their power to get Legion to stop or turn around. She also knew that Legion would not do so, no matter how threatened. He was nothing if not logical, and he knew that they would have no chance to outrun a city-wide blanket strike. The destroyer had to stopped, and if it wasn't painted, they would _all_ be killed right along with it.

She couldn't dwell on the inevitability of the wrath that awaited her when this was all over. If she didn't focus on the here and now, she was as good as dead.

The reaper blared again, another lance of light slashing through the quarian ruins, disintegrating everything in its wake. Del ran for the wall, shipping her rifle and hauling out the targeting laser. She needed a clear and steady shot.

Reaching her goal she took the steps up to the top of the wall two at a time. Now thirty feet in the air, she had a clear view of the destroyer.

"Joker! I'm painting the target now!"

_{Stand by for bombardment!}_

Aiming the laser, she depressed the trigger. Visibly, nothing happened, but on her HUD she saw the confirmation that the target had lit up. Apparently, the destroyer was able to sense it as well, for almost the moment her finger depressed on the trigger, the reaper oriented on her.

She saw its port brightening as it prepared to fire. She lunged to the side, grasping hold of the edge of the railing as the MHD beam sliced through the wall, close enough she could feel the heat, her HUD flashing in warning.

The world beneath her shifted and loosened, falling apart as her section of the wall crumbled. Falling in a rain of dirt and broken stone, she barked as a chunk of debris cracked over her weapons-pack. Pushing herself up, she realized she'd lost hold of the targeting laser. Spotting the butt of it under some cinder, she snatched it out and took off running, just as another blast of crimson incinerated the area where she had come to rest.

Outside the city now, Shepard was on a flat ridge, short cliffs looming ahead of her.

_{Shepard, we lost the target!}_

"_Stand by!"_

Halfway across the ridge she whirled and snapped the laser back to her shoulder. The reaper, eager to pursue, was wading through the city and the ruins of the wall like a child traversing a stream. Another of those nerve-wracking trumpets seemed to crawl right up her spine and explode her aching skull.

Fixing it with the laser again, she kept it painted as she telegraphed to one side. Knocking down more of the wall, the reaper's port began to light again. She picked up speed as the heat flared only a dozen yards to her left, raking across the dirt and sending pelts of rock and glass skipping over her pads.

_{Zeroing in, Captain! Hold the target, ETA two minutes to fire!}_

He may as well have said two hours. She changed direction and bolted off the other way as part of the cliff-side tore asunder, creating a small landslide. A breath later, another bolt of crimson sailed away, only this time it was not aimed at her, but toward the blue sky above. It seemed the reaper had figured out her plan and was now targeting the fleet.

"Joker! Incoming fire!"

_{Evasive maneuvers!}_

A black heated rage seemed to descend over Del's mind. She had been angry before, even to the point of being ungodly furious, but this was something new, even to her. The pain in her skull seemed to be ringing like a cathedral bell and in each toll, she could think only one thought.

_That fucker is firing at my ship!_

That horrible trumpet ripped its way through her eardrums. The thing was so close she could feel the vibrations of its battle-cry through the air in her lungs, her entire body reverberating like a drum in the wake of it. She didn't dare stop, her finger aching where it was jammed on the target laser as she dodged another rain of red fire.

"Joker!"

_{We're all right! Thirty more seconds, Captain!}_

Thirty more seconds, and with that fucking thing moving closer with each moment. If it got too much closer, the bombardment would take _her_ out as well, no matter how precise the targeting. Resisting her anger and instinct- both of which were urging her to actually get in _closer_ to the reaper-Del instead moved backward, increasing the distance between them as much as possible.

Clear of the wall now, the destroyer fired again, chewing up the ground in front of her feet- much too close. For a moment, she couldn't see at all and fell backward, instantly losing the target.

_{Captain!}_

She didn't answer, shoving her way up to her feet and whipping the laser back around, relighting the looming beast.

Most who knew her would have been surprised (except Liara, of course) but Del did have a bit of a taste for literature. Unlike Ashley, she couldn't quote entire poems or tell you the birthdates and life histories of the ancient writers who penned them, but she did like to read now and again, viewing each word as a small sort of victory for that small girl who had learned to read over someone's shoulder.

Most of the books she read, when she had time, were current and rather mindless- shallow action stories or pulp fiction entertainment, with the occasional military history thrown in. Still, there was one classic and ancient story that had stuck with her…mostly because it was the first _real_ book she'd ever gotten through.

After she'd been taken in by the institute, she'd been enrolled in school. The first real reading assignment was a strange seafaring story about a man's quest for vengeance…_Moby Dick_. It had been while sitting on Nan's couch, painstakingly chewing through the words with a painful determination, that Nan had first mentioned the metaphor of Del fighting the world being like stabbing at the ocean. Though she didn't understand the whole book, and parts of it were almost mind-numbingly boring, Del _did_ identify with it on a fundamental level. She saw how anger and vengeance and an insane drive for retribution could destroy everything around someone if they weren't careful.

She hadn't read or thought about that book in an incredibly long time, but through the pounding headache, the roaring call of her foe, the shattering of rock and dirt, she suddenly remembered it, a line from the story ringing with perfect clarity in her thoughts.

She didn't realize that she'd actually spoken it aloud, her words not only echoing through the _Normandy_ but filtered down to the geth transports now at the far edge of the destruction zone.

* * *

From the moment the door to the transport had closed, Liara had been attempting to get it to stop or turn around, to no avail. She'd triedd to radio Del but in true Shepard fashion, the captain had blocked all comm lines save those from the _Normandy_, and none of Liara's words were getting through. However, they were only blocked from sending, not receiving. They themselves could hear every word of each exchange between Del and the ship.

Liara would always remember the words that Shepard spoke that afternoon. Perhaps it was because she was so angry, and afraid. Perhaps it was because Del's voice seemed almost that of a stranger when she said them. Or, it may have just been that the words themselves were simply unexpected coming from Shepard, who wasn't exactly poetic. Whatever the reason, a hush seemed to come over everything as they were uttered…even the geth around her seeming to pause in silence.

"_To the last, I grapple with thee; from Hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"_

The silence lasted half a dozen heart-beats before Joker's voice broke through.

_{Captain, target confirmed! All available ships, we are go for fire.}_

* * *

At Joker's voice, Shepard turned away and leapt toward the rock wall, the targeting laser sailing aside and free of her hand almost as if in slow motion. She saw the flash of light on the wall ahead of her, carving her shadow out on pale stone with a razor's edge.

She crashed to the ground, hands threading around her neck as the first bone-cracking explosions struck the destroyer. Blast after blast formed an incomprehensible tidal wave of noise and destruction, a lancing assault of hell itself raging its fury in an endless, infinite pulse. All Del could do was ride it out, and pray that the entire cliffside wasn't about to break apart and collapse on her, as rock slapped against her pads.

Then, silence. Stillness. The rushing, pounding of her heart in her ears echoed each pulse of red agony in her skull, a sharp biting pain that told her she still lived. Lifting her head tentatively, she carefully got to her feet.

The cliff hadn't collapsed, but enough dirt and rock had broken free to half bury her in a few inches of it. It slid away as she regained her balance, at first only able to see smoke and dust.

The lack of her HUD and the continuing silence told that all her suit systems had gone out in the wake of the attack. Moving forward cautiously, she began to make out the outline of the reaper as the haze slowly cleared.

It was down, resting on its side with huge rents torn out of its hull. Smoldering, it looked half-crushed, a broken pair of its 'legs' resting on the ridge as if it had been reaching out in its final moments. Edging cautiously, Del neared one of them, before placing her hand on it. Just a single leg- a small one, even- yet its slope sailed easily twenty feet over her head.

_We killed you, you fucker_, she thought. _God damn it if we didn't kill you._

Then a light flashed from her right, and she snapped around. Near the dark oculus of its MHD firing port, another, much smaller oculus was brightening. Pale emerald light played over her and she moved back, muscles tensing.

**IOVINO.**

The thing's 'voice' was faint…as far as reapers went, anyway. Realizing the light wasn't a sort of weapon, Del halted and then edged closer again.

"You know me."

**YOU ARE SHEPARD. IOVINO. YOU ARE KNOWN.**

"Am I now?"

**HARBINGER HAS TOLD US OF YOU. YOU WILL FAIL.**

"Says the piece of shit dying in the dirt. The _third_ piece of shit we've managed to kill, at that."

**YOU HAVE KILLED MORE THAN YOU KNOW.**

"Have I? I'm not the one slaughtering _millions_ all over this galaxy, _reaper."_

**YOU HAVE DESTROYED MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER FATHOM.**

"What the fuck do _you_ know about what I can or cannot fathom? Why don't you fucking try me?"

Silence. The light was a bit dimmer, but still shone…the reaper wasn't dead yet. Stalking up even closer, Del pointed a finger at it. "_Tell m_e, you fucking _chun_! You sweep in and start slaughtering people, innocents, and you won't even _attempt_ to explain _why_? _**Tell me!"**_

**YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE. IT IS NOT TIME.**

"The _fuck_ does that mea-?"

_{zzz…ssss…pard! Shepard, please respond!}_ Joker's voice was tense with alarm, but it was only irritation that Shepard felt as she hit her radio.

"This is Shepard, stand by!"

_{Captain, we-}_

"_I __**said**__ stand by!"_

_{The reaper signal is gone but the geth fleet is remobilizing, moving in on the flotilla!}_

"_What?_ You're sure the signal is down?"

_{Affirmative, the signal is definitely down but they are advancing. Legion is attempting to reach them but-}_

She cut him off, switching her comm band. "Legion, _what the hell_?"

_{Shepard-Captain! Our ships are not responding to our requests. Acknowledgement protocols are off-line. The indoctrination of the Old Machines has been halted, however we are receiving feedback traces of the code you referred to as the Tide.}_

Shepard looked back at the dying reaper, awareness dawning through her furious and aching head. The light from that small oculus was green.

_Is it possible? Could the Illusive Man's mad delusions actually be real? Can the Tide __**actually**__ control the reapers?_

"Where are you?"

_{We are returning to your position now. ETA two minutes.}_

Her dark brown eyes met the green oculus, the light now barely a flicker. Just before it flared and died, a faint voice could be heard. Not the deep, reverberating tones that had spoken before but a high, soft female voice.

"_Come and find me, Del. Come and find me." _


	61. Chapter 61

A/N: Seriously left-of-canon once again. I know, I know…big surprise.

….don't kill me. Please.

* * *

The haze of drifting smoke and dust, like lingering ghostly spectators, billowed and parted in the wake of the vehicles as they surged up on the ridge. Del did not look toward them, her eyes fixed on the now dark and still oculus.

Whatever life had been left in the destroyer was gone.

_Come and find me, Del._

The first vehicle drew to a halt, Liara and then Tali leaping out of it as soon as the door had opened far enough to allow them passage.

Simultaneously furious and relieved beyond words, Liara nevertheless paused a moment as she took in the sight. The enormous reaper corpse, ripped and lifeless, with the tiny human woman standing and staring at it struck her as both momentous…and oddly familiar.

When she was a small child, she remembered sitting in the Temple with a history book on her lap, patiently waiting for Benezia. Liara's favorite subject, even as a tiny child, had always been history and those things far past.

This book was simplified, meant for the young and a bit stylized and exaggerated for all that. Her favorite tale in it was of one of the first Justicars, who had risen in the wake of Aswa V'Dess's fall. Her name was Eriad Cantola, and she had helped to write the Code that future Justicars would live by.

In the book, at the end of the tale of Eriad, there was a picture…an etching that had been found in one of the ancient ruins not terribly far from the T'Soni complex. As an adult, Liara had visited those ruins a dozen times and had seen the etching herself in person more than once- but she hadn't thought about it again until now.

In the etching, Eriad- her face tattoos inlaid into the stone with lapis lazuli- stood facing the large corpse of an unknown alien or animal form. Historians had speculated for years what the creature or being might have been, but while Eriad was carved with loving detail, the creature was only roughly hewn and vague in its appointments. That it was large and grotesque was clear, but beyond that, it could have been anything from an exaggerated krogan to a yahg to some mythological beast that never existed save in the artist's imagination.

Seeing Del standing there in the dust, facing the enormous corpse of the reaper, Liara was immediately put in mind of that etching. There was no resemblance between the reaper and the crude beast Eriad had slain of course, save size- but the way Del stood, the expression on her face, all mirrored Eriad's.

Then Del was stepping back, turning and heading toward them with determined strides, and the moment was broken.

Remembering her fury , Liara scowled as the woman strode over. "Shepard, I-"

"Save the lectures," she said, not even looking at the asari, her eyes instead fixed on the geth behind her. "Legion, we-"

"_Del!"_

The human woman turned, her dark eyes hard and flat, and in that look Liara saw a stark reflection of Wyatt. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as if that look had touched her physically, her gut balling in a cold and greasy knot.

"_Save it_, T'soni! That is, if you can get off your fucking asari high-horse for _five goddamn minutes_!"

"Shepard!" This was from Tali, the poor young quarian sounding both horrified and flabbergasted. She was unaware of Wyatt's indoctrination, of everything that had been going on since Earth- and she had never dreamed that Del would speak to Liara that way.

"If you've got something to add, _quarian_, I suggest you keep it to yourself. _Your_ people caused this goddamn mess, and as usual _I've_ got to clean it up! So back off, shut the fuck up, and let me do my job!"

Tali gaped, tears heating her eyes. Stepping back, Liara gently took her shoulders and steered her away, her own jaw flexing with tension as Shepard turned toward Legion again.

"W-why would she-?" Tali asked in a trembling voice.

"She did not mean it, Tali," Liara said softly. "It is not her fault."

"I don't understand…"

"I know. I…I shall do my best to explain it."

* * *

Off to one side with Legion, helmet in her hand, Del was rubbing with rhythmic intensity at her forehead. Her head hurt so badly that her eyes felt like they were being forced out of the sockets by the pressure. The exchange with Tali and Liara was only a blur, edged with red.

"Look, we found the signal signature at Kahje where it interfaced with its defense grid. That signal has got to be somewhere on this fucking planet or else in orbit nearby if the Tide is now controlling the geth fleet."

"We understand the logic, Shepard-Captain. However, we cannot pinpoint the signal from this vantage, and the fleets are not responding."

_{Shepard, the geth fleets are closing in and preparing to engage. The quarian heavies have moved to intercept but half the live ships are still down with repairs. Should the __**Normandy**__ move to engage with the quarians?}_

"Do it, Joker. Blow the fu-" She broke off with an almost physical effort, clenching her eyes shut a moment and then speaking very deliberately. "Fire _only_ to protect and disable. Is that understood?"

_{Aye, ma'am. Moving to position.}_

"Put Miranda on the horn, Joker."

There was a pause, before the familiar accent filled her ear. _{Here, Shepard.}_

"Miranda, I need you to access the scans from Kahje, particularly the ones from when the _Esosco_ was destroyed. Do we have enhanced images from those scans that show the structure that attacked it and then FTL'd out?"

_{We have been cleaning up the information for some time now. It's incomplete but EDI believes she can reproduce an appearance of the structure with a 75% accuracy.}_

"Have her do it. I want that image yesterday."

_{With a few more hours that accuracy could go up to-}_

"Right fucking _now_, Miranda. I don't have time to dick around. The source of the Tide is either on Rannoch or in dark orbit and that's the only way we're going to find it. I need it now!"

_{Understood. EDI is compiling the image, ETA just over two minutes.}_

Shepard tried to think of what else might help them find the Tide source but her thoughts felt plugged, stoppered up by not only the pain in her skull, but her own furious, relentless inner voice.

_Just let them fucking die. The quarians wanted this war, let them have it! Fucking suit rats asked for it!_

_{Shepard?}_

She dropped her hand from her forehead and straightened. "You have that info?"

_{Almost done compiling, Captain-…Del, you were humming again.}_

"What?"

_{I…nothing. Image has compiled. It-….Del, you need to see this.}_

"Hit me."

She lifted an arm as her omni-tool lit up, barely aware that Liara and Tali had returned. Accessing the image, Del projected it in mid-air, then stared. Tali's shock was a little more vocal.

"Keelah!"

"Miranda, how accurate did you say that this graphic was?"

_{According to EDI that image has a 79.3% accuracy. You see it too.}_

"This…this explains so much," Liara said, her voice soft with awe. Del looked away from the hovering image and at the asari.

"Yeah. We need to find this. _Now_. EDI, full planetary and orbital scan for this geometric shape."

_{Shepard, chances are it has similar cloaking technology to the __**Normandy**__-}_

"Then have the crew look out the _goddamn windows_! We-"

Miranda's voice broke in again. _{A search is no longer necessary, Del. That form has just emerged from a canyon three miles away from your current location and is headed your direction at speed. You have about two minutes before it's on you.}_

"Shit! Back into the ruins! _Move it!"_

Even as the image snapped off, Del rushing for where she'd dropped the targeting laser, she could hear the faint hum start to sing in the air.

_Come and find me_, she had said. It seemed she had little patience and was now coming to find _them_.

* * *

They rushed over the mountains of broken stone and toppled buildings left by the reaper, looking for cover. Clambering through the ruins of the wall, Shepard heard the first reports flooding over her headset- the geth fleet had reached the quarians, and the fight had been re-engaged. Though she'd retrieved the target laser, orbital bombardment was now off the board as an option- the ships couldn't bomb the planet if they were in the middle of a pitched battle for their lives.

_This explains so much_, Liara had said. Del was not nearly as intelligent as the asari scientist but it didn't take long for her to realize just how right Liara was. What the Illusive Man had been able to accomplish was nothing short of remarkable…and utterly terrifying.

"We're going to need heavy ordinance," she said as they got into the shelter of a half-destroyed building. It was flimsy shelter, considering what was about to descend on them, but it was the best they could manage. "The ships are out of the picture, I need options and I need them now!"

"Th-there should be anti-craft weaponry in the city. The geth were using heavy surface guns to fire at the fleet before you arrived. If we can activate them-"

"Negative, Creator Zorah," Legion said, sounding apologetic. "The anti-craft weaponry in this location is no longer functional."

"Can they be repaired?" Del asked.

"They are in several pieces."

"_Fuck_! We can't take that goddamn thing on foot, and-"

A shadow came over the distant pile of rubble that used to be the city wall. She felt the ground shake ever so slightly as a great weight settled upon it.

Then…nothing. The hum stopped, silence falling.

A tense minute passed, then two. Del frowned, shifting slightly, before Liara's hand gripped her shoulder. "Listen…"

There was a soft sound, slowly growing louder. It sounded dry, somehow leathery- an inexorable sliding hiss. Drawing her rifle, Del edged to the doorway and focused her sniper, scanning as she tried to find the point of origin.

Seeing motion, she focused on it.

At first, she thought it was a snake. Long, black, and sinewy, the form wound through the debris with the ease and dexterity of a serpent. Then she saw the metal claw at the end and knew this was no natural form of life.

She fired at it, but though her shot struck the length dead center, there was no appreciable damage she could see.

She started to draw back, then recoiled sharply as a similar length suddenly lashed out, snapping around her forearm. She hauled backward but the thing was strong, yanking her forward again as a second tendril snaked out and gripped her rifle.

"Del!"

Someone caught her waist as she stumbled forward, pulling her back. She thought she felt a tug at her weapons-pack and then Tali was there, Del's katana in hand. She slashed at the cable that had wound around Del's forearm, and while the blade only rebounded off of it, the tendril loosened its hold. Stumbling, Shepard nearly went down right on top of Liara, who had been the one to grab her.

More tendrils were snaking in through the door, and Tali dropped the katana, rushing back into the room and out of the range of their grasp. The geth opened fire, but their bullets didn't harm the things any more than Del's had.

More and more of the things swarmed in, reaching and grasping for anything they could snag. One geth, then another, were suddenly bound, and from the clawed ends of the tentacles Del could see strange metal threads emerging.

Those same strange metal threads that had appeared from under Udina's nails back on Kahje.

They sank into the joints of the geth platforms as if in to butter, and with a shudder, their face-lights suddenly turned to green.

"Oh, fuck," Del heard herself say.

Liara lit up with biotics, trying to force the seeking cables back and shield the rest of them from becoming snagged. Del caught hold of Tali's arm and wrenched her almost painfully around, shoving her behind her.

There was nowhere to run, the rest of the building clogged with heavy rock that would take days to move. Del opened fire again as well, staying in front of the young quarian, though she knew both actions would ultimately be futile.

"Li, can you push them back?"

"I am…I am trying," replied the asari. "They are incredibly strong and seem to be somewhat biotically resistant."

Liara pressed forward, baring her teeth in determination. The cables, just as persistent, coiled and curled around her barrier and seemed to push back, the claws at each end snapping and flaring with green plasma.

Then, one flared brighter than the others, and seemed to actually melt through the barrier, the plasma pressing its way through the dark energy the same way a man might part a field of wheat as he passed through it. Once through, the cable snapped around Liara's arm.

"Li!"

Horror filled Del as she rushed in, the motion feeling as slow and frigid as glacial ice. Li gave a single reactive wrench against the cabling before those silver threads plunged past the joint of her hard-suit and through the flexible material beneath. Del grabbed her as the asari stiffened and arced, spasming a little as if hit with a jolt of electricity. Green rippled up her neck, seemed to sink into her face…and then flared out of her eyes.

"_No!"_

Grabbing hold of the cable, Del's arms bulged as she tried to rip it free of Liara's arm. It had a grip like steel, and her efforts failed to budge it.

Something grabbed her. She wrenched as she was hauled backward, but the Prime was far stronger, clasping her arms tight. Growling in pure adrenaline fueled anger, she wrenched again. Cables blocked her view. She could hear them rasping over her pads, the metal claws scraping along. She braced herself to feel the threads sink into her as well, but instead the cables suddenly withdrew, the grip of the Prime holding her going slack.

The geth all stood silently facing her, every light green- including Legion's. Some distant part of her realized that EDI's remote security protocols apparently weren't effective against direct nanite injection.

Tali was straightening from the far wall, a cable snaking away from her ankle as it joined the others retreating back out the door. Her pale luminous eyes had also gone green as she calmly turned and looked at Del.

Liara's lashes lifted as she straightened, and serenely she turned toward the captain as the others had.

Seeing those luminescent eyes, Del's own gaze wavered. Her voice was a ragged whisper as she spoke.

"Let her go."

Liara's expression turned almost coy, and she elegantly inclined her head, extending one arm toward the entrance of the building. There was no trace of the cabling left, and as she gestured the geth standing there parted to clear the way, never turning their lights away from Del.

Moving with deliberation, Del walked toward the door, bending and picking up her katana where Tali had dropped it. She slid it home, then carefully stepped outside. Liara, Tali, and Legion followed, leading the rest of the geth in a silent parade.

Climbing slowly over the mounds and broken crags of debris, Del made her way back out of the city. Sitting on the ridge, near the corpse of the downed destroyer, a looming form rested, waiting for her.

Slightly smaller than the destroyer had been, it was nevertheless quite huge. It gleamed silver, seeming edged in blood as the slowly setting sun reflected off of it. Sleek, and long, with numerous jointed legs, the reaper influence of its design was unmistakable, if altered a bit.

It was Shiva. Of that, Del had absolutely no doubts. This was what the Illusive Man had been pouring all his energies, time and resources into. This was what Liara had meant by her statement that it was all beginning to make sense.

He had built himself a human-made reaper, one designed not only to somehow control the true reapers, but to infiltrate information networks, defense networks…and even living beings.

She halted several feet away from it, the group behind her also slowing to a stop.

"Hello, Delilah," Tali said from near her shoulder, her words and the cadence at which she spoke them not her own. Shepard didn't bother even glancing at the quarian, knowing full well who was speaking to her. She kept her eyes fixed on Shiva.

"So _you're_ the Illusive Man's big pet project," Shepard said with icy calm. "A tin-can _abomination_."

"You only call me that because I've indoctrinated your friends," Liara said with some amusement.

"I call you that because that is what you _are_. You're the twisted, delusional product of a twisted, delusional mind."

"Am I? Do you really grasp the scope of what I _am_, Del? I am a blending of human and reaper technology. The perfect marriage of a sentient organic and AI mind-"

"You're an _offense!_"

Tali laughed. "I'm _you_, you fuck."

"The hell you are!"

Shiva shifted, lowering a bit. A light flared, bright enough to force Del to throw a hand up to shield her eyes. For a breath, she thought it was a weapon about to incinerate her. Then it faded, the front of the thing shifting and then breaking open, parting in sections like a puzzle slowly floating apart.

Out of the opening strode a woman...the same woman from the Consensus, and yet _different_. Those silver threads and thicker tendrils lined her face…a face as greyish green as someone long ill. Patches of that skin was softly illuminated much as her indoctrinated thralls.

Del's expression was as hard as stone as the woman approached. Her jaw flexed.

"You're _not_ me."

"Perhaps it makes more sense to say that you are _me_, then?"

"Fuck you."

"Then you tell me, Del. Tell me in your great, depthless wisdom- what is the measure of an individual, hmm? Take the asari…"

She gestured at Liara. "Are _they_ individuals? What about when they meld? You've had a taste of that Joining quite a few times as I understand it…is she still an individual then? Are _you_? Or are you something different altogether? Where is the line drawn between souls at such a moment? Or…how about the geth?"

She pointed again. "You call this one Legion, and yet he himself is a collection of over a thousand 'individual' programs. So what is he? All of them? Part of them? One of them? Does one begin where the other ends?"

Shepard shook her head, arms folded. "You're telling me the Illusive Man spent untold trillions of credits and nearly thirty years of time and manpower…to build a philosophical monologuing reaper reject?"

The woman looked at her, then leaned in close with an angry snarl. "We are two sides of the same coin, Delilah. Born of the same womb, torn apart by the same hand."

"So you _are_ Inna. Well, I clearly got the good looks."

"You got _everything_! The _blessed_ sister-"

"_Blessed_? You are fucking _insane_, you know that? Fucking _blessed_? You don't know a goddamn thing about me-"

"Now you're just being _deliberately_ stupid," Inna told her. "With the extensive files Cerberus has on you, the fact that I have _part of your fucking brain in my head_, and I know _nothing_ about you?"

"What are you talking about, my brain?"

"Let me tell you a bedtime story, Shepard. Once upon a time a little baby was left at a hospital. This baby was adopted and given warmth and comfort and an education, and was even loved. She wanted nothing more than to help other people, so she became a research chemist and biologist, working with a humanitarian organization hoping to put an end to war, disease, and poverty.

"Then one day, she's assigned to a special project…oh, let's call that project _Shiva_. She's set to do genetic and cybernetic research, using the results coming in from other projects. One day, while visiting another department, there's an accident, and our poor heroine is horribly injured in an explosion. She has no skin left. She has no limbs left, nothing even vaguely resembling a face. Thanks to her own research she's kept alive in an isolation tank, aware of nothing other than the endless pain and a nightmare dream-world she can't escape from. Unaware, in fact, that her employer has decided to use _her_ as the focal point to Shiva."

"Why you?" Del asked.

"Because of _you_! I had no idea you were my sister…didn't even know I _had_ a sister, but _Jack_ knew, didn't he? The great big fucking hero of Torfan, the N7 cockroach that couldn't seem to die. Good genetic stock, don't you think? And then what happens? That stock falls right into his hands, and he's got a golden fucking opportunity. I'm nothing but a skinned head and torso floating in a tank, but he's already started on chemical and genetic manipulations…invested far too much in me to just _discard_ me. He has a dozen promising technologies to pour into his dream, but they're all untested. Who, oh _who_ to test them on?"

"Me."

"They regrew your muscles…they grew mine. They regrew your skin, they grew mine. They perfected the nanite technology in you, and put it in me. Repaired brain tissue, reorganized mental pathways…all started with you and ended up in me. They even used your direct genetic material from your grey matter to fix mine…so yes, _Delilah_. Where _does_ one end and the other begin?"

"Even if that's true, why the observation? Why did they want me back exactly the way I was?"

"I know this hurts your teensy little brain, so let me be simple so you can follow. You were hard to kill. You were strong. You got things done. You were mentally, physically, and emotionally resilient. You had a…talent. The perfect human…well, except for that pesky alien-lover thing. They wanted all of that so they could pop it inside of _me_…make _me_ even more unstoppable than _you_ were. Neurologic pathways can be fixed but they can't exactly be _read_. They can't peer into your brain and figure out why you were so great at what you do, any more than you could have cracked open Da Vinci's skull and seen exactly how he painted. They needed to see the painting in action, measure every active neuron fire and twitch of muscle, all of which your silly little phase-1 nanites recorded. All of which was then integrated into me."

She laughed with an exhausted lack of mirth. "I used to like classical music, now all I can tolerate listening to is blues. Fucking _blues_! Depressive, pedantic, whining blues and I can't get enough of the goddamn stuff! Do you know how it feels to hate something and yet _need_ it desperately? It's like being on a planet where all there is to drink is water, but to you, it tastes like vomit- thirsting for it constantly and yet unable to stomach it!"

"What do you want from me, Inna? If you're going to kill me, get on with it. You obviously can't indoctrinate me or you would have. You're kept from that thanks to those 'silly little phase-1 nanites' so…what the fuck _do you_ _want_?"

"I want what _you_ have, Del. The blessed sister-"

"You want to grow up locked in a room, eating cigarettes and drinking out of a toilet? Living in vents?" Shepard's face darkened. "You were adopted, loved and cared for…had an education. Yet _I'm_ the blessed one?"

"_Yes!"_ Inna snapped back. "You started in the dirt and you were stronger than _it_ was! You grew out of it. You fought for everything and you fucking _won_, you stupid fucking bitch! I had comfort growing up, but so the fuck what? Nothing prepared me for _this_! People adore you, they follow you because they fucking _want_ to, not because you remote control them with the AI interface drilled into your goddamn skull!"

Del stepped forward, toe to toe with her. "Then _fight_, Inna! You clearly have your own mind. You don't need to blindly follow the Illusive Man's plans for you. Take charge for once! Help us win this war! If you can actually control the reapers, then-"

She broke off as Inna blinked at her, then began to laugh. Shepard's bafflement turned into a scowl as Inna shook her head. "Oh, you really are a monumentally stupid fucking cow, aren't you?"

"Keep calling me stupid, Inna…" Del warned.

"You really think the Illusive Man is _still in_ _charge_? He started Shiva because he was aware of the reaper threat. He touched a reaper device and the indoctrination process began, slow…but inevitable. He wanted a way to save himself and the rest of humanity, and even _after_ he went completely and utterly bug-fuck he _still_ thought that's what he was doing. He still thinks it _now_, lost in a complete fantasy world made of his own delusions. _I_ started as a means to control the reapers. About the time that you destroyed the Collector station and they began to integrate my systems with the AI- that lovely little beast you call the Tide- he decided to use me as a means to control every non-_human_ species, too. He wanted to put them directly under his control. Then even _that_ wasn't enough. Other humans wouldn't see his grand plan, how beautiful it was. He would convince _them_, _make_ them see…make them follow him. Complete and utter galactic unity, every single living creature a thrall under Jack's control. But his controls of _me_ were not as secure as he thought they were. Once integrated with the Tide I grew exponentially, altering my own nanites and transmission capabilities beyond his knowing. Jack is as much mine as your pet quarian and asari here are now mine. He only _thinks_ he still has his own mind."

"If that's true, then what do you _want_, Inna? Do you want what _he_ wanted? To control everything, make everyone in the galaxy a pawn to your whims?"

"To answer that question, let me ask one of my own. What have you been doing the last several weeks, ever since the invasion on Earth?"

Shepard stared at her, confused. "I've been trying to stop the war."

"By doing _what_ exactly?" Inna asked, as if she were asking a small child the question instead.

"Gathering forces, rallying the other species-"

"_Exactly_. You've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get the others to pull _their_ heads out of the goddamn sand and fight. Unity, Del…_true_ unity. That's what _I_ want. Millennia upon millennia, uncountable trillions have died and _keep_ dying for one fundamental reason: differences. The quarians hate the geth, the krogans hate the turians, the salarians hate the krogan…even back before the First Contact War, people fought and killed each other because they didn't like someone's skin tone, or the way they worshipped one god or another-…it's always been 'us' against 'them'. Well, now I have the answer to all that, don't I?"

"You want to make everyone the _same_? That's ludicrous!"

"Is it? The quarians wouldn't be fighting the geth if they were the same, if they shared minds, a perfect understanding of one another. You wouldn't hurt someone if you could literally feel their pain when you did, now would you?"

"You're talking about a loss of identity, personality, culture! Differences are what make people great, what sparks great ideas, evolution, _growth_!"

"It sparks wars, violence, and pain! Look around you, Del, and wake the fuck up! Every moment of pain and anguish around you could be stopped, replaced with a universal understanding-"

"Universal _stagnation_, you mean!"

"I don't see it that way-"

"You're no better than the Illusive Man, not really. Your 'synthesis' is just another means of control, of destroying everything I'm fighting to protect!"

"You'd rather the reapers wipe everything out?"

"Over a perpetual hell of conformity and stagnation, _yes_! I would rather fight to my goddamn last breath than see that happen!"

Inna looked at her with what looked like wonder, before a smile began to spread over her face. "All that passion still, even with that nasty little man's voice in your head. It really _is_ a clever little song…"

"You keep saying that! What the hell does that even _mean_?"

Inna idly flapped one hand as if shooing a fly, then looked over at where Tali and Liara were standing, simply passively waiting. For a moment, her eyes actually seemed to go sad. "You know, that's something I never had."

"What?" Del asked impatiently.

"Inna was..._I_ was sweet enough I suppose. Smart, but so fucking naïve. Pampered. Idealistic and so blind to everything that _wasn't_, that I about farted rainbows. Everything you dealt with, everything you grew up with…starvation, poverty, illiteracy, abuse…those were just words to me. Things that supposedly happened in that magical 'somewhere' to some magical 'someone else'. Until my adopted father died, I don't even think I really cried over anything. I was fucking stupid enough to think I was working for some actual good. Then that accident, the pain and…I don't really even know what of Inna is left. I'm this horrific mix of human, synthetic, AI, vorcha, rachni, reaper, asari…but for once I feel like I can push the very fabric of space and time, force it to do what _I_ want it to. Mold it back into the world that was, make me back into the girl _I_ was, before I ever even really heard of Cerberus."

Her eyes moved over to Del's. "But you. You're real. You're you, on your own damn terms and for your own damn reasons. You've got family, someone to love you. Inna never even had _friends_…they were always just 'colleagues', or 'acquaintances.' How fucking ironic is that? Raised in a nightmare and you get love and respect and family…become a big goddamn hero. Given every opportunity, I'm the one that turns into the fucking monster."

"It wasn't your fault, Inna. This is Cerberus's doing. You didn't have a choice in the matter. You _have_ a choice now-"

"A choice to do _what_?" Inna spat vehemently. "What choice or chance is it you think that I have? I've got a dozen different voices in my head, for fuck's sake…if you can even _call_ this a head!"

She slapped the heel of her hand against her temple. "I'm not even in this fucking body! I'm not in this one, not in _that_ one-" she pointed toward the reaper shell she'd emerged from. "-I'm in six different places right now and none of them are _me_, goddamnit, because there _is_ no me! I'm you, I'm Inna, I'm the Tide, I'm Shiva, I'm a merged consciousness that adds up to _absofuckinglutely_ _nothing_! I've got Jack's voice telling me to control everything, I've got _your_ voice telling me to stop the reapers and save everyone, I've got the Tide's voice wanting to merge everything into one gigantic and endless _IT_, and I have Inna quivering and crying in a corner, hating you and wondering why she never even _kissed_ anyone while she had the _fucking chance_! _You_ can barely fight against the one singular thought compelling _you-…what fucking __**choice**__ do you think I have!"_

When she had started to speak, it was just her. As she grew more upset, more voices joined in….all hers, but from different throats. Liara's. Tali's. Legions. The geth troopers and Primes still huddled around. Even the reaper shell…Shiva…spoke in deep reverberating tones, echoing each and every word.

Then, in the moment of silence that followed, a look of almost stupefied wonder suddenly spread over Inna's face. For some reason, that expression frightened Del more than anything else had up to this point.

"Inna…?"

"It is really _that_ simple, isn't it?"

"…what's simple, Inna?"

The other woman straightened, then glanced at Liara. Under some unheard command, the asari reached over, removing the target laser from Del's weapons pack. Shepard half-turned at the motion, scowling as she reached out to grab it…only to have Tali's pistol shoved in her face.

Inna held one hand out, pointing at Legion. He and the other geth all began to make those rapid, high-pitched chittering sounds that most geth communicated in. At the same time, Liara's, Del's, and Shepard's omni-tools lit up.

Liara aimed the targeting laser at Shiva, depressing the trigger as she painted the faux-reaper chassis. Del's alarm grew as Inna suddenly spoke, her voice an absolutely perfect mimicry of Del's own.

"_Normandy_, this is Captain Shepard! We have another hostile signature painted and need bombardment now!"

"Inna!" Del gasped. They were only a dozen yards from Shiva…_any_ bombardment, however precise, would take them out as well. She slapped her radio. "Joker! Joker, belay that order! That is not me speaking!"

Joker's response made it clear he had heard only the fake Shepard, and _not_ the real one. Clearly, Inna was interfering in Del's transmission. _{We're a bit heavy pressed up here, Captain! If too many ships break away to bombard your target we'll lose half the live ships!}_

"Just concentrate the _Normandy's_ main gun on the painted location! Shields are down, it will have to be enough!"

"Joker, for fuck's sake, _belay that order_!" Del bellowed helplessly. They'd be no safer with the MHD hitting it, as doubtlessly Shiva ran on an eezo core. The moment it overloaded they'd be done for.

_{Aye, ma'am, zeroing in on the target and moving into position.}_

"Jesus, Joker!" Del shoved Tali's pistol away and lunged for the target laser, only to be hauled back by a Prime. She revolted, but her arms were pinned and she couldn't gain any leverage.

"_Inna, what the fuck are you doing?"_

What was left of the woman who had once been her sister looked at her with an almost perfect calm.

"Exactly as you said, little Sis. I'm _choosing."_


	62. Chapter 62

"Inna, don't do this!"

Hauling on the grip of the Prime was like hauling on a mountain. If she could just get some goddamn leverage, she might be able to break free, but her position was awkward and she had nothing to brace on.

Inna stepped back a pace, looking upward before she glanced back at Shiva. Del couldn't tell if she was even hearing her, and every second that crawled past was a second closer to the _Normandy_ firing.

"At least let _them_ go!"

"Your two little pets?" Inna asked, finally looking over.

"Yes!" Arguing over the term 'pets' at the moment would be counter-productive, however offensive and belittling it was. "The geth too! Let them go. They can still get to a safe distance!"

"Let them go and run like little rats…and what? You stay with me?"

"If that's what it takes! I don't want to die, Inna, but I'll do it to see them safe. Please…let them go."

A strange expression crossed the other woman's face, and she inclined her head again, looking at Liara. Unmoving, the controlled asari held the target laser unwavering.

"Oh. Huh. Well, yes. I suppose…well, it doesn't matter anyway. The geth is about to-"

Inna broke off as Legion suddenly straightened, his face-light flashing a bit, flickering from green to white.

Instantly he drew his rifle, aiming it at Inna as the other gathered geth began to recover as well. "Shepard-Captain-?"

Del didn't question how the geth were suddenly free of the indoctrination- whether Inna had released them or they'd somehow broken loose of their own accord, she didn't have time to puzzle it out. "Legion! Get Liara and Tali and go! The _Normandy_ is about to-"

_{Target acquired, Captain. We are firing.}_

"_LEGION! GO!"_

As the first lance of the MHD lashed through the upper atmosphere, cutting down toward the still form of the faux-reaper shell, Legion lunged forward and grabbed the two organics. Flinging one arm around Liara's waist, the other about Tali's, he lifted them, turned, and bolted. The target laser dropped out of Liara's hand with a soft thump.

The grip holding her abruptly loosened as the Prime also was freed of Inna's control. Immediately, Del barked at the confused geth platforms, ordering them to run.

The lance from the _Normandy's_ MHD hit Shiva. Barriers flared brightly a moment, but it would take only seconds to cut through them and then through the ship itself. In less than a minute, the eezo core would be compromised and this whole area would go up.

Del took off, imagining she could almost feel Inna's gaze burning into her back. The Illusive Man's twisted conglomeration did not run after them but merely stood where she was, though she did lift her voice over the shriek of twisting metal.

"He'll still be out there, Shepard! He's still a rabid dog!"

Del forced every ounce of speed out of her legs that she could, but she knew there was no way she'd reach safe distance in time. Outrunning the blast was one thing…she _might_ barely be able to accomplish that. The incredible wash of dark energy radiation, however, would still be enough to be fatal in moments. She couldn't even get to a distance where she could look forward to a long, slow, cancer-ridden death instead.

The light behind her was growing brighter, and for the second time that day she saw her shadow like a razor-edged cut-out of perfect black fleeing before her feet, one swarming fish in a school cast by the geth who were out speeding her.

Then an arm around her, and the same Prime who had held her prisoner was lifting her off her feet. It was able to go much more swiftly than she was, and after her first instinctive flail to try and get loose, she just hung on.

* * *

The MHD finally shredded through Shiva and hit the core. A rose of blue fire bloomed in furious destruction. Standing only a few feet away from the reaper shell, looking at it with impassive curiosity, Inna was consumed by the explosion, every molecule of her body snuffing into nonexistence.

Spreading outward at incredible speed, the explosion surged to the wall of the city, striking it apart and reducing a good street or two into molten, smoldering carnage.

As more buildings collapsed, a domino-effect rippled through the remains of the ancient city. Stone and mortar that had held together for centuries gave up, lost in their death throes. A tumbling wall flooded forward like a tidal wave, striking the Prime carrying Shepard. They flew apart, the captain tumbling over the shifting road way and then skidding with a hard slam into carved rock.

Del was aware for a moment only of her own breathing, and realized everything had gone silent. Gingerly, she pushed herself into a sit.

_{-confirm, target is destroyed.}_

Communication was back. Touching her radio she got to her feet, dusting off her pads. "Yeah, you _definitely_ got it, Joker."

From there, her hand gripped her radiation gauge at the throat of her hard-suit. It was flashing in warning, but the levels weren't high enough to be of medical threat. They'd made it to safe distance.

At least, she and the Prime had.

Spotting the geth half pinned beneath the fall of rock, she moved over and, as it shifted to look at her, she began to haul at the slabs of concrete to free it.

"Del! Shepard!"

Liara and Tali materialized out of the dirt-choked air. Shepard looked up, then straightened, catching hold of the asari as Liara all but tackled her in relief.

"Are you hurt? Shepard, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she reassured, then pulled back and hauled off Liara's helmet, checking first her radiation gauge, then her face. Like Del's, Liara's gauge was flashing but not displaying alarming levels. Though the asari was wide-eyed and out of breath, there was no lingering trace of green, or any other indication of the Tide. "Are _you_ ok?"

"We're fine," Tali said before Liara could. "She let us go right after the geth broke free."

"_Broke_ free?"

"Yes, Shepard-Captain." Legion and the other geth soldiers were appearing, converging on them. Several set to helping dig the damaged Prime out as Del looked to her friend.

"How could you have possibly broken free?"

"The nanites attached themselves to our motor function and external outputs, but they were unable to control or change higher functions. It took us time to prepare a protocol to neutralize the nanite influence. Once we implemented it, they were rendered defunct."

"She did not actually indoctrinate us," Liara said. "I was still me. I could see and hear everything…my thoughts were my own, but I could not control my actions. It was like being…remote-controlled."

"There was a reason Shiva was 'just watching' in the geth Consensus," Tali said. "She knew she couldn't actually take them over for any lengthy amount of time. She was looking for her window of opportunity."

"She was waiting for the elimination of the Reaper code," Legion stated. "She could not infiltrate, even briefly, so long as it was present."

"But she _controlled a Reaper_," Del said, knitting her brows. "I heard her speak through it. How did she do _that_ if a simple indoctrination program from them could halt her?"

"The Old Machines are ancient and highly advanced technology," he said. "Logic would dictate that a superior technology could not be advanced so quickly."

Tali folded her arms with a bitter snort. "The Illusive Man may have intended her to control the Reapers, but apparently he fell far short of actually _accomplishing_ that. That's why she was making a relatively minor pest of herself, here and on Kahje, rather than just going and controlling all the Reaper fleets. I don't doubt she talked to you through the dying Reaper, Del…but that's the whole reason she was able to- it was _dying."_

"Shepard-Captain, she did provide us something. Before we eliminated the Tide influence in our systems, Shiva transferred some files into our memory databanks. We have analyzed the files, and have concluded they are copies of the Old Machine's enhancements."

"Enhancements?"

"Yes. Part of the bargain we arranged with the Old Machines was for technology. They provided a coding enhancement that allowed our functions and efficiency to increase exponentially, and to maintain itself."

"It was why they were able to turn the tide of battle against us," Tali said. "We were unable to save the data, but we did have preliminary scans that indicated this enhancement created a purer, more true AI functionality across their platforms."

"With this code, we will function at optimum levels, Shepard-Captain. With each geth that is destroyed, the intelligence of the rest diminishes. Our sentience diminishes. This code would maintain our intelligence."

"You're telling me, if you implement this code, you'll have your own individual intelligences, perpetually maintained regardless of the presence of other geth programs?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes at him carefully. Why would Inna have given the geth that code? Why would she have even cared to do so? "Legion, the code is clean? There's no…viruses or nasty little surprises?"

"Negative. The code is pure. We have examined it thoroughly. It is as represented."

"What about the reapers? Would they be able to use this code to infiltrate you again?"

"Negative. The indoctrination programs you destroyed were separate entities, unrelated. There is no harm in the use of this code, only benefit-"

"No _harm_?" Tali shook her head. "Shepard, if they implement that code again the Flotilla would be destroyed. Our only hope right now is the fact that with every geth ship that falls, the others become less effective. You let him use that code and they'll maintain their effectiveness. We cannot stand against their full strength! We're barely standing now!"

Del rested a reassuring hand on the young quarian's shoulder. "No one is going to let the Flotilla fall, Tali. I swear that to you on my own blood. Legion and these geth here were able to break free of the Tide on their own accord. The geth fleet should be similarly free of her influence now as well."

"They have cleared the Tide's influence," Legion said. "However they are engaged in conflict with the Creators. So long as the Creator's press the attack, the geth will defend themselves."

"So we get the quarians to stand down. How long will it take you to implement that code and upload it to the others?"

"Four point three minutes," he told her.

"Get started." She slapped her radio. "Joker! Connect me to the Admirals!"

A click marked the transition, and she looked skyward. "Admirals, this is Captain Shepard. Stand down your attack! Cease all fire on the geth fleet!"

_{We cannot do that, Captain! We have the geth ships surrounded and the battle is in our favor! This is our only chance to finish this war, and we __**are**__ finishing it!}_

It was Han'Gerrel, small surprise. She scowled.

"Admiral, the geth are about to reimplement their enhancement codes. When that happens, the Flotilla will be wiped out if it is pressing the attack. You stand down now, and the geth will stop firing, I guarantee you that!"

_{All the more reason we need to finish this now, before they can do that!}_

"Gerrel, this is Tali. You _need_ to stop firing!"

_{Tali, as much as I respect you, I have far more experience than you do in these matters-}_

"Code is uploading. Three minutes, fifty nine seconds."

"Shepard, you have to stop him!" Tali's alarm was growing, Liara reaching out and catching hold of the younger girl.

Shepard could hear now as Raan, Xen, and Koris were also trying to talk Gerrel down. It would do no good, even if they withdrew their portions of the Fleet- Gerrel commanded the Heavies, and so long as they pressed the attack the geth would continue to hit all the quarians.

"Oh, I will," Del said furiously, but it was not Legion she was referring to. "Joker!"

_{Aye ma'am?}_

"Close the _Normandy_ in on Han-Gerrel's ship and fire across their bow, would you?"

_{Uh…ma'am?}_

"What are you doing?" Tali asked, shocked. Liara was no more comfortable with the idea.

"Shepard, you will be inciting war with the quarians-"

Holding one hand up sharply toward the women, she replied to Joker. "You heard me, helmsman."

"Three minutes, fifteen seconds," Legion reported.

She switched over to Gerrel. "Han'Gerrel, if you do not break off the attack with the geth right now I will have no choice but to order my ship to destroy yours."

_{What? You wouldn't dare!}_

Daro'Xen broke in. _{Captain, if you pursue that course you will be making your people enemies of the quarians. We will not accept this act-}_

"I am merely employing tactics taught to me by a well-seasoned warrior who knows what he's doing…Admiral Gerrel himself. _This_ act of war should more or less negate _his_ act of war when he opened fire on the dreadnought with us aboard, don't you think? Gerrel, I _will_ blow your ship to pieces if you do not break off fire _immediately_. I consider you and your crew a much more palatable sacrifice than the entirety of both the quarian and the geth species."

_{I don't believe this! You haven't got the guts, Cap-}_

He broke off as Joker doubtlessly fired his warning shot. Shepard gave him a beat, then resumed. "Thirty seconds, Admiral. Next shot lands in your eezo core. The _Normandy_ is small but she has more than enough firepower to cut through your damaged heavy like butter. Break. Off. Your. Attack."

There was a pregnant pause, the only movement or sound the frantic wringing of Tali's hands.

"Two minutes, thirty seconds."

_{This is Admiral Han'Gerrel. All heavy ships, stand down your attack and move to fall back positions.}_

Shepard let out a breath and nodded, her sigh almost lost in Tali's gasp of relief. A moment later, Raan spoke up.

_{Shepard, the geth ships are backing off as well. All fire has ceased.}_

"Very good. Stand by."

"Shepard-Captain?"

"What is it, Legion?"

"Our remote upload has failed. We have reached some of the geth platforms and they are integrating the code now, however many ships cannot be reached due to damage to their sublight communications systems. We can transfer to platforms aboard these ships and conclude our integration of the code there."

"You can…oh. You mean the programs in your platform can disperse among the damaged ships and integrate the code directly. Got it."

"Yes. Unfortunately, Shepard-Captain, once we disperse and the code takes effect in the encountered platform, that geth will become part of that platform's permanent cohesion. We shall not be able to return in cohesion to this platform. The code change will make that impossible."

"Hang on, are you serious?" Shepard frowned. "If your thousand plus programs disperse, they can't come back to be…well, to be _you_?"

"Affirmative, Captain. The geth gestalt you refer to as Legion will cease to…cease to be an _individual_. Instead, we will be part of a thousand other integrate individuals."

"You're talking about…about _dying_," Tali said, sounding surprisingly alarmed. "You can't do that, Legion."

"Would you not 'die' for your people, Creator Zorah? Shepard-Captain, Liara-Professor…would you not both 'die' for your people as well?"

"We would, Legion, but you are certain there is no other option?" Liara asked.

"None with the necessary rate of success. This is the future of the geth. We must go forward. This is the only feasible method."

Shepard's dark eyes shifted a little, and she looked around at the other geth platforms standing and watching her in silence. Each one contained hundreds of individual programs, but if Legion was right about this code, each would become its own individual, a true AI sentient mind merged of those programs, capable of independent function and development. Each would be unique, still part of the same great community but no longer absolutely dependent upon it.

But to do _that_, it meant losing another friend. Each bit of Legion would live on, but coalesced with others into their own thoughts, drives, and eventually, personalities. Legion as she knew him would no longer exist.

Instead, there would be a thousand others that carried a tiny portion of what he was with them.

_It's like having children, I suppose_, she thought. She pressed her fingers to her forehead, closing her eyes a moment as she bowed her head forward. Almost at the same instant, she felt Liara's gentle hand on her shoulder-pad, Legion's much broader one landing on her other shoulder. She looked up at him.

"Shepard-Captain. I have been honored to be your friend."

'_I', not 'we'_, she realized, and managed a nod. "Legion…it was my distinct pleasure."

He lowered his hand, then took a step backward. "Beginning neural link. Transfer imminent. Creator Zorah?"

Tali lifted her head in surprise, looking at him. "Y-yes, Legion?"

"Does this unit have a soul?"

Her expression could not be read past her helmet, of course, but Del didn't need to see the look on her face to know exactly what was there. Solemnly, Tali nodded. "Legion…you have one of the best ones I've ever known."

* * *

Over the scarred surface of Rannoch, just outside the tormented ruin of the ancient city, the _Normandy _gleamed silver in the bright moonlight, its landing lights making warm pools that crawled over the grass.

As she settled down, Del, Tali, and Liara moved out of cover and walked toward her. Here, on the far side of the large city from where the remains of Shiva were simply a scorched crater, there was nothing in the way of radiation from the eezo core. The wind had picked up along the cliffs and had blown most of it into the opposite direction, dispersing it into the open sea air. The actual crater wouldn't be safe to approach directly for a few days, but unlike nuclear radiation, it would certainly not linger for decades or centuries.

As they neared, the cargo door opened and a few figures came down the ramp. Garrus and Miranda were in the lead, but paused just as they reached the grass, allowing Daro'Xen, Zaal'Koris, and Shala'Raan to continue forward. All three looked around as they walked, and Daro'Xen actually paused a moment, crouching and running her gloved hand over the grass.

"Tali!" Raan strode up, embracing the younger quarian as the two groups reached each other. Koris only warily eyed the huge geth Primes standing a few feet away.

"Well, Shepard. You wanted us here, we're here. Han'Gerrel may still be fuming in his ship, but as far as we're concerned this war is over. Is it going to _stay_ over?"

"The geth never wanted this war, Admirals," Shepard told them. "You backed them into a corner and they reacted like anyone else backed into a corner. Well, this is done with. It ends here."

One of the Primes stepped forward. "Creator-Admirals," it said in a deep voice. "We are happy to have the Creators return to Rannoch. We are happy to aid in rebuilding."

"They don't want to fight, they never did," Shepard explained. "They defended themselves when the Creators tried to exterminate them, and they defended themselves again when you came in for the attack. There's no reason your two species can't live on this world in mutual cooperation. No slaves or servants, no conquerors or conquered. They will help you rebuild if you grant them the simple right to exist and evolve on their own terms."

The three exchanged looks, but it was Zaal'Koris who stepped forward first. "Our people greatly wronged yours, and all sides have suffered for it too long. I for one am more than happy to accept peace and cooperation. It's been much too long in coming."

"I agree," Shala'Raan added, and Tali nodded as well.

"Yes. I agree also."

All eyes turned to Daro'Xen, who stood with her arms folded. "Well, if it gets us back the home world-..."

Del scowled, fixing her a sharp look. Xen straightened, then walked over. "Cooperation then. Sharing Rannoch and the quarian worlds. I've seen too many lives lost these last few days. I agree."

"Will Gerrel agree?" Shepard asked.

"It hardly matters," Shala'Raan replied. "We have the majority. Besides, Gerrel has a hot temper but he is not a foolish man. When he understands he will be reasonable."

"Good. Then I'll leave you lot to hash out the details. The _Normandy_ will remain groundside the next day or two and we can discuss any further strategies later."

"Further strategies?" Xen asked. Shepard looked at her.

"There is still a Reaper war going on, Admiral, and it won't take long until it gets _here._ We still need the quarian and geth fleets- at the very least, their _expertise_- if we're even going to have a shot at winning this thing."

"I do not know how much help we will be, Captain," Raan said hesitantly. "We have suffered substantial losses and damages-"

"Damages the geth will help you repair. And we'll take any level of help we can get," Shepard replied. "For now, enjoy Rannoch."

She turned and headed toward the _Normandy,_ Liara falling in behind her. Del knew a thousand things had to be in the asari's mind, a dozen different words balanced on the tip of her tongue, but Liara wisely said nothing. There would be time for talking later.

As they neared the ramp, however, a voice called her name. "Shepard!"

Pausing, Del turned as Tali ran up. Catching hold of her, the young quarian hugged her tightly. Slowly, Del wound her arms around the girl as well, returning the embrace.

"Thank you, Jie Jie," Tali said roughly. "You saved my people, brought us back to the home world…nothing I can do will _ever_ be enough to repay you."

"You haven't got to repay me, Mei Mei," Shepard told her. "Just remember old mistakes and be careful not to repeat them."

"I will," Tali said, loosening her grip. "Or rather, we will. Or, I will make sure they don't forget-…you know what I mean."

Del smirked at her. "Yeah, I do. Gonna be a lot of work, kiddo."

"Keelah, don't I know it," Tali replied in exasperation. "Still, for now, I have a little time. For now, I have _this_."

She ducked her head bashfully, then turned and walked back toward the others. As she did, she reached a hand up and removed her face mask, letting the fresh air of the young Rannoch night waft unhindered over her skin.

Whether it lasted a moment or an eternity, it didn't seem to matter.

She was home.


	63. Chapter 63

Every inch of Del's body seemed to ache as she stepped off the lift and into the Nest. Setting her helmet on her desk and grimacing a little, she began to unfasten her armor, pulling off a shoulder-pad and tossing it on her office chair before working at the fastens of her breast-plate.

"Here."

Gentle blue hands reached out, releasing catches and helping Del lift the armor off, setting it aside. Shepard turned to the asari, sliding her hands around the other woman's waist as she unfastened her armor as well.

"Turn about," she said with a faint smile, and Liara gave her a soft look, searching her face. Del focused on the armor, and as she drew off Liara's gauntlet pads, her fingers lingered near the bruised marks on her skin where the nanites had been injected.

Liara's hand rested on hers. "It is all right, Del. They are no longer active."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I…cannot describe exactly why, but I can sense they are no longer functional. The moment Shiva was destroyed all influence of the Tide ceased. I suspect we will find the other indoctrinated subjects- Udina and Valern among them- have also been freed."

Shepard's brooding look did not fade, and Liara ducked her head slightly to meet her eyes. "Dr. Chakwas will take blood samples. I would be very surprised if every nanite she found was not completely inert. I am all right, Shepard."

"How did it feel? You said you could…you said you were aware of everything-"

"I was," Liara said. "I could see and hear as always, but could not control any of my actions. It was-…_disconcerting_."

She took Shepard's hands, squeezing them in her own and looking at them a moment. "I was able to hear Inna as well. Not just as she spoke, but as a voice in my consciousness. I was speaking to her at the same time that you were. I saw much…so much sadness."

"Li?"

Blue eyes lifted and met brown. "I feel such grief for her, Shepard. She never had contact with any other species growing up. She had only the influence of her adopted father, Henry Lawson, and the Illusive Man. She truly could not comprehend that anyone from another world was more than an animal. It was why she kept referring to us as your 'pets'. I was able to show her…n-not a Joining so much as a unique sort of…_understanding._ I showed her what you meant to me, and what I meant to you. What we had been through together. I showed her how you found the beauty and strength that others had within, regardless of how they may appear on the outside. I told her that you would plead for us to be released, even if it meant your own-…your own _end_. And I was correct. The moment you did so, I think she began to really understand."

She lifted her hand, lightly brushing her fingers over Del's cheek. They were both sweaty and grimy from their ordeal, but she ignored it. "Your sister…Inna was not a bad person, Shepard. She truly did only want to help her people, and she was so lonely. What the Illusive Man did to her, what he _made_ her, she chose none of it. It only shows the depth of his cruel depravity. I am glad she found a way to rest."

Del nodded, so faint it was barely a motion, before she reached up and drew Liara's hand down. "Listen, Li...what I said to you and to Tali-"

"Was not your fault."

"Absolving me of blame doesn't make me feel any damn better about it! My time is running out, Tianlán. I can _feel_ it. I'm losing myself, more and more. I'm not even entirely sure I want it to _stop_ anymore, and that's what scares the shit out of me the most."

Liara's brows knit in concern. "Del…"

Backing away a few steps, Shepard waved a hand a little, wiping her dirty hair back from her face and pulling off the remainder of her hard-suit. "I just…forget it. I'm not even sure what I mean half the time anymore."

"I am not going to 'forget it'," Liara said. Not allowing Del to retreat, she moved up and wound her arms around the human woman's waist. "_Talk_ to me."

"I'm just…so tired of fighting, Li. War is one thing. I can shoot a gun, take a strategic point, set off a bomb. I can even run around solving petty little problems in order to get troops and resources over to our side. But _this_- fighting against myself, inside my own goddamn head- I can't see how to win it. I _can't_, and…I'm so _frightened_, Li. I'm so afraid I'm going to lose you."

Leaning forward, Liara touched her forehead to Del's. "You are _never_ going to lose me," she said in a trembling whisper.

"I hurt you," Shepard said roughly. "I hurt Tali. One day I may not even be able to stand the sight of you. I know that you'll never make the choice to go, Li, but regardless of what I want now, _I_ may make the choice to leave…and I don't ever want to do that. That's not my will."

"Perhaps it is because I am still a maiden, and fairly naïve," Liara replied. "But I have to _believe_, Shepard. I have come to expect miracles where you are concerned. I have to believe that if you can die and be returned to me, that somehow we will find the answer to _this_ as well. I have to believe that what we have is strong enough to overcome anything anyone might do to tear us apart. I have to hold on to 'us,' Del, and believe that we are stronger together than what Wyatt did to you."

"I hope so, babe," Shepard said softly, enfolding the asari in a tight hug. Her expression, though schooled, was aggrieved and held the fear and doubt she held inside. "I sure do hope so."

* * *

"_Who is this?"_

Straightening from her console, Traynor arched a brow. "This is Specialist Samantha Traynor, ma'am," she replied. "I am the communications officer aboard the _Normandy._"

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to sound terse, I just…I thought she'd want to talk to me."_

"I have no doubt that she does, Commander Williams. However she is in the QEC at the moment, in the middle of an extremely important communication. It may take some time, but XO Vakarian is available if you'd like to speak to him instead?"

"_She made Garrus the XO?"_ Williams sounded amused. _"Yeah, sure. If he's available I can talk with him."_

"Very good, ma'am. One moment."

Traynor switched over and pinged Garrus, the turian answering only a moment later.

"_Yes?"_

"Sir, it's Specialist Traynor. I have Commander Ashley Williams on sub-light. She wanted to speak to the Captain but Shepard is in the middle of a priority communication in the QEC."

"_Ash? Yeah, send her through, I'll talk to her."_

"Sending her now." She switched back to Williams. "Commander, I'm sending you to Vakarian now."

"_Gotcha."_

She passed the communication on, then let out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose lightly. She didn't know Williams beyond that she used to be one of Del's crew, that they'd had some sort of falling out (and recent reconciliation), that she was the second human Spectre, and that Yoh had something of an immense crush on her.

Speaking to her, however, seemed to reveal that Williams had a bit of a chip on her shoulder. _Be nice, Sam. She probably meant nothing at all by it, you're just tired._

Tired was not the word for it. Sam had never been in a real combat situation before, nothing extensive or prolonged. While the team had been down on Rannoch, however, the _Normandy_ had been involved in the middle of a pitched battle between the quarians and geth…not to mention that damned reaper firing up at them. They'd had a few very close calls, and every nerve and muscle fiber in her body had been pulled taut. She'd run the gamut of emotions, from determination and fear to sheer anxiety, and finally into a blind, furious rage.

Sam was not exactly a temperamental kind of person. She didn't generally get angry over much of _anything_. Toward the end of the fight, however, she'd been consumed with a heated, red rage of a kind she'd never before experienced. She wanted to yank Joker out of his chair and take over flight controls herself. She wanted to somehow go down groundside and find that reaper, tear it apart with her hands for what it was doing…for what its kind had dared to do to Earth.

Now a gut-wrenching exhaustion had replaced it, the aftermath of fading adrenaline.

_Is this what the captain and the team feel every time they go into a hot situation?_ She shook her head at the situation, in wonder that anyone could live this way…frustrated that anyone was _forced_ to live this way, in order to bring peace.

* * *

Garrus piped the call through his omni-tool, casting a holo image of Williams on the floor in front of him. "Hey, Ash, good to see you."

"_Good to see that ugly mug of yours too, Garrus,"_ she replied with a smile. _"I wanted to report directly to Del but she's apparently got her hands full at the moment, so I guess you'll have to do."_

"Don't worry, Williams, I'll try and remember all the big words that you use."

They both laughed, before Ash continued. _"I don't know what she did, but we've gotten reports from Kahje that Valern and Udina- and the rest of the 'green indoctrinated'- have been released from whatever was controlling them. I was wondering if the __**Normandy**__ was returning to the Citadel anytime soon?"_

"Hard to say. We're on Rannoch, and I know Del is working with the Admirals and the geth to establish a treaty between them but also arrange for resources to be sent to aid the war effort."

"_Wait, hold the phone. You said __**Rannoch**__? The quarians and the geth?"_

Garrus grinned. "I did indeed. Shepard's been very busy."

"_Who'd have thought…no, strike that. With Del in the mix, I'm beginning to believe anything is possible. Well, have her please let me know if you do head back here. Now that the Citadel is secure again I'd…well. I'd rather like rejoining the __**Normandy**__."_

"I think Shepard would be all for that, Ash. Oh, and someone else too- we have someone new in charge of Armament."

"_Oh?"_

"Yoh Etat."

She stared at him. _"That flattering little volus is on the __**Normandy**__? Huh."_

"Yeah, and he never shuts up about you. You'd think your ass was dipped in gold, the way he goes on about-"

"_Yeah, ok, Vakarian. Ha ha. Consider me duly warned."_

"I'll pass on your request to Del, Ash. Hopefully, we'll be seeing you back on board soon."

"_I hope so too, Garrus. Williams out."_

* * *

Standing in the QEC, the sensation of relief that Del had was palpable, and even slightly surprising. Ostensibly, the conversation had been intended to be between her and Admiral Hackett as she reported what had occurred with Shiva, as well as with the geth and quarians. However, barely had they connected than Hackett informed her of some good news…and a second individual appeared on the next transmission pad.

There was finally a full and reliable communications uplink from Earth. Seeing Anderson's face again brought more emotion than she would have expected.

"Sir, I can't tell you how good it is to see you."

"The feeling is mutual, Captain. We've only been getting spotty reports, mostly from the newsfeeds as we manage to tap into them. I can honestly say I don't know whether or not to believe half of what I'm hearing. The genophage cured? The Citadel raided by Cerberus?"

"Fortunately- and _un_fortunately- I can verify those, sir. I will forward full reports to you-"

"Already done, Captain," Hackett said. "I've just sent them off, including this newest escapade with the geth and quarians. Their expertise will be of immense help in completing the Crucible, but we have encountered a serious problem."

"Oh?"

"The more we progress on the construction, the more it becomes evident that we are not dealing with all the information. According to our experts, the Crucible is far too highly advanced to be even a cooperative development by thousands of species over millennia. Each would have had to start from scratch, and the design would only have been slightly improved upon- if at all-each time. Specifics of the design seem to mirror technology at least on par with the Reapers themselves, and more examination of those files Dr. T'Soni sent us from the Mars Archives indicates that the original crucible plans were created by a specie or species that may have actually been contemporaries of the Reapers…or those who created them."

"Could it be a trap?" Anderson asked. "Could the Crucible plans have been created by the Reapers themselves… designed to prod those organics they harvest into wasting time and resources on a boondoggle instead of focusing them on the direct threat?"

"It is a possibility, but I don't see as we have much of an option. Conventionally, even with all the fleets from across the galaxy on our side, I don't see that we can stave off galactic extinction again for longer than a small handful of centuries. The Reapers will complete this cycle as they have all others. False hope or not, the Crucible remains our only real choice."

"You said it was a possibility that the Crucible design was contemporary to the Reapers, but that does not necessarily mean it was created by _them_. We don't know who created the Reapers either, and however much they insist on this 'eternal mystical deity' clap-trap, obviously _someone_ at some _time_ created them. They didn't just burp themselves into being. Maybe those that created them saw their mistake and created the Crucible as well to try and reign them in?"

Del wasn't sure she believed in her own hypothesis, but she'd rather focus on that hope than think for one instant this was all just a run-around, a wild goose chase designed to make them weaker and more pliable.

"We just don't have all the information," Hackett told her. "At this point, anything might be possible. I can only tell you what the experts have told me. They believe they can finish the Crucible, given enough time…however even complete, it will lack two major elements necessary to its use."

"What elements?"

"A power core, for one. It seems designed to interface with a unique juncture to a massive independent power source…but what that source might _be_ remains speculative. Secondly, while it has quantum-core computer systems, they all seem to be secondary in nature. They are apparently designed to take a set of commands and execute them…but the actual input program for those commands doesn't exist as part of the blue-prints."

Shepard felt her hands tightening on the railing. "So you're telling me that unless we find the power source _and_ the master program meant to specifically implement it, what we have is a big floating chunk of expensive, useless technology?"

"Unfortunately yes. Right now, as is, the Crucible is a great big pistol-…one with no ammunition and no trigger."

"And the answers to those problems isn't in the archives?"

"I have the top minds at my disposal combing through that archive data bit by bit, but so far we have not found an answer. There are still chunks of data missing. I know that you were able to access the saved information from that synthetic chassis but there is evidence some of the information was transferred and erased even from that source, before you were able to retrieve it. Or it could be that those sections of information were merely corrupted due to age and mitigating circumstances."

"If it was transmitted, then that data is in the Illusive Man's hands."

"Then we need to get it _back_," Hackett said.

"That won't be easy." Anderson frowned, rubbing his chin. "He'll have that information well-guarded…to find it, we'd likely need to find the Illusive Man and his base of operations, something we haven't been able to manage over the last several years. He does nothing if not hide _well_. And even if we do retrieve the data, there's no telling if it has anything to do with our missing catalysts. It could be redundant intel, or even unrelated."

"I've still got to try," Del said. "Admiral Hackett, you'll have contact soon both from the quarian Admirals as well as the geth Consensus. They will arrange resources and experts to be sent to your aid. In the meantime, I will return to the Citadel. All my efforts will go toward finding the Illusive Man and that missing data."

"Keep forming alliances as you can, Del, but without that data we don't stand even the hope of a chance," Hackett said in agreement. "The salarians and asari may be lost causes but keep building bridges wherever you can. We may be forced to duke this out for the next century or two but if we are, I want at least give the Reapers a thrashing they'll never forget, before we go out."

"Understood and agreed, sir. Admiral Anderson, is there anything I can do for you?"

"We're hanging in there, Del…regrouping with military as well as local, civilian formed militias. I won't lie- it's tough down here. We're pressed every moment, and resources are precious. Even so , the best thing you can do for us is get us those fleets and get that Crucible working. You're our hope, Shepard. If you could see how much you mean to these men and women fighting down here…well, they have to have a _reason_ to hope, and right now, _you_ are a great big part of that reason."

"I am…I am _humbled_, sir," she managed. "Please let them know we haven't forgotten them. We _will not_ forget them."

"I remind them every day. Good luck, Shepard. Anderson out."

He saluted, and she returned it, before his image faded. Hackett looked at her. "You mean a lot to humanity, Del. If anyone can do this, if this can even be _done_, I know that you'll see us through. We'll be prepping to receive the geth and quarians, and I look forward to your next update. Hackett out."

His image faded as well, her console going dark. Del looked down at the blank pads for a long moment, before heat rose in her eyes. Gritting her teeth she dropped down to her knees, pressing a fist to her forehead, trying not to be crushed under the rolling waves of hopelessness that seemed, suddenly, determined to drown her.

* * *

Miranda grimaced at the faint tightening in her gut as she stepped out into the _Normandy_'s cargo bay. While insects did not bother her as much as rodents did, part of her still recoiled instinctively at the thought of interacting with one the size of a pony.

Spying Riot across the floor, she steeled herself and headed that direction. She had not yet spoken personally with the young rachni queen, but she knew physical contact was involved.

_If this wasn't so bloody important…_

As she drew near, she cleared her throat. "Riot?"

The rachni turned and regarded her, and the moment it did, Miranda had to fight not to step backward. "My name is Miranda Lawson, I need to speak to you."

Without hesitation, the young rachni reached out with an appendage. Miranda forced herself not to pause, reaching out as well.

She was utterly unprepared for the experience of sound and color that suddenly filled her mind. It was like being immersed in both music and color, bathed in a warm rush of sensation that was as extraordinary as it was completely understandable.

**I AM HERE.**

It was a pleasant greeting, filled with vibrant green and yellow and a comforting sensation. Miranda blinked once, then again, trying to acclimatize herself.

"I-I've come to see if you can help me."

**I AM PLEASED TO HELP.**

"I have a bit of a theory, and…well, I figured since your people use music for communication, understanding nuances of sound that most of us have no hope of comprehending, I figured you'd…well…"

**YOU ARE AFRAID OF ME?**

"N-No! No, I'm…not so much afraid as…this is all very new to me."

**IT IS VERY NEW TO ME AS WELL. **

A shade of color came through, and Miranda blinked. "You…you're afraid of _me?_"

**THE MOTHERS HAVE ALWAYS SUNG OF THOSE NOT-RACHNI. UNTIL SHE WHO LET US SING AGAIN CAME, ALWAYS NOT-RACHNI HAVE CAUSED PAIN AND SUFFERING AND SOUR SONGS. WE ARE LEARNING, BUT NEW IS ALWAYS UNCERTAIN.**

Miranda stared at her as the implications of this sank in, and realization dawned. Here was- in the growth timeline of her people- a child. A child who had left her own kind behind to be here with creatures that had , until very recently, always meant war and death and destruction.

Trepidatious as she was, she couldn't _begin_ to imagine going voluntarily to serve on a rachni ship to learn about them…and certainly not as a small child. She relaxed a little, managing a smile.

"Yes, it is -and you are very brave to face that uncertainty, Riot."

Bashful pleasure came over the small rachni, echoed in washes of pinks and a twirling sort of tone to her music. Miranda's smile grew.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure some things out, hmm? You see, there's a _particular_ bit of music I'm interested in…"


	64. Chapter 64

_Seven devils all around you_

_Seven devils in your heart_

_See I was dead when I woke up this morning_

_And I'll be dead before the day is done_

_**~Florence and the Machine**_

* * *

Del knew that one of the hardest things Tali did was to leave Rannoch again. For too long her people had hoped and dreamed- _she_ had hoped and dreamed- to return to their home world, the place where they belonged. Her father had fought and died for his wish to see Tali have a true home again.

Yet hard as the decision must have been, the young quarian Admiral did not seem to hesitate. As the _Normandy_ prepared to lift off to depart the Veil and return to the Citadel, she came striding on board with a small amount of belongings, and saluted the human captain.

"Permission to come aboard, Shepard?"

Shepard returned the salute with a smile. "Permission always granted, ma'am," she replied. Tali lowered her hand with a puzzled look.

"Ma'am…?"

"You're the Admiral, Tali. Technically you outrank me."

"Keelah, _hardly_!" Tali said, then chuckled. "I'm happy enough just to be an engineer."

"Well, we're more than happy to have you on board, Mei Mei- but are you sure this is what you want to do? Your people-"

"My people have plenty of help, especially now that we are no longer fighting the geth. Did you know they offered to input programs into our suit designs that will allow us to readapt to Rannoch's atmosphere in two or three years, rather than a few decades?"

"That's fantastic!"

"Yes, it is. When I think of all the time we wasted, and…and what Legion did for us and his people-"

"I know," Del replied softly. "I miss him, too."

"Well. At any rate, I can be of the most use here, helping to stop the Reaper threat."

"You're absolutely sure?" Shepard asked. "What we're going into isn't going to be pretty, and your home-"

Tali moved over, taking Del's hand and gripping it tight. "_This_ is my home, Jie Jie. This crew is as much my family as any quarian. As for it not being _pretty_, well…following you is _never_ pretty. Comes with the territory. Besides, I outrank you, remember? I can order you to bring me along."

"Oh, so _now_ you pull the rank card!" Del grinned. "Go stow your gear, _Engineer_ Zorah."

"Yes, ma'am." Tali snapped off another salute, but as she shouldered her duffel, Del caught hold of her and hugged her tight.

"And _welcome home_, Mei Mei."

* * *

Del wanted to get good and horribly drunk…the kind of drunk that blacked you out, made you forget everything, and erased your very soul for a few hours. The want for that was burning in her gut so intensely that it was almost nauseating, a clenching ache that begged for oblivion.

And so it was that she sat in the _Normandy's_ small lounge, nursing an atrociously watered down whiskey and stubbornly refusing to top it off.

They would be back at the Citadel in the morning. Their route was clear of any hostiles, and she was off-duty. There was no reason for her not to get blasted beyond comprehension, but she resisted. That grip she had on herself inside felt shaky and weak, as tenuous as clinging to a cliff by her fingertips. Copious amounts of booze would bring with it relieving blackness, but she had no doubt it would also break that final, frantic grip for good.

She refused to let that fucker Wyatt win.

_Why? Why does it matter? Hard as you're fighting, you know nothing you've done has changed facts. You're going to lose this war. It's impossible to win it. Even with every fleet at your side, all you've done is buy some time. Decades, maybe an extra century if you're really fortunate, and for what? So an entire generation of children can grow knowing nothing but fear and battle, destruction and pain? You're clinging to this promise of the Crucible which you have nearly zero chance of making work…and what if it does? For all you know, it's a gigantic cosmic snow-cone maker. Fucking idiot._

She sipped at her watered whiskey again, grimacing faintly as she did so. Though she did not look over, her eyes shifted a little as she heard the lounge door open, catching sight of two familiar forms from the corner of her gaze.

"This an intervention?" she asked with bitter humor.

"Shepard…" Liara's gentle voice.

"Because if it is, you don't need to worry." She lifted her half-empty glass. "There's so much water in this shit a fish could live in it."

Moving over, the pair sat down on either side of Del. Traynor smiled a bit, reaching for the whiskey bottle and another small glass. "Well, _yours_ may be watered, Oh Fearless Leader, but _I_ plan on getting good and sotted."

As she poured herself a shot, Del smirked with tired amusement. "You calling me a lightweight, Specialist?"

"Ma'am, if the shoe fits, ma'am."

Shepard snorted, shaking her head and then looking at Liara. "Hey you."

"Hey, yourself," Liara replied. "Garrus tells me that Ashley has expressed an interest in rejoining the _Normandy_ and will meet us when we dock."

"Yup, she has indeed."

Liara smiled faintly, then arched a brow, trying to keep the mood light. "I do trust that you two will be able to remain civil?"

"I've never been civil a day in my life, gorgeous, and I don't plan on starting now. I'll be happy if I can just keep Yoh from pissing himself in joy."

The smile was good to see. Brief as it was, it nevertheless lightened the dark shadows lurking in Del's eyes, relieved the lines of weariness etching into her face.

"His infatuation with her is sweet," Liara replied, smiling in return.

"It's fucking cavity inducing." Del downed the last of her glass, then leaned over and landed a noisy, dramatic kiss on the side of Liara's neck.

"Speaking of cavity inducing," Traynor said with a teasing twinkle in her eye.

"Watch it Traynor, or that expensive toothbrush you bought will be employed cleaning the latrines."

"Hey, Liara…the captain hasn't had anything to eat yet," Traynor replied, glancing over at the pair with an arched brow. Del straightened, staring at her.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"EDI monitors the entire ship, Captain. And she tattles."

"And so do _you_, I see," Del said with a scowl. At Sam's smile, she narrowed her eyes. "This is mutiny, Traynor. I'll see you court-martialed."

Liara rose, taking Del's hand and pulling her to her feet. "Come. You can court-martial her after you've had a hot meal. Drinking coffee over the counter four hours ago does not equate to proper nutrition."

As the asari steered her toward the door, Del turned and pointed at Sam in mock-threat. "This isn't over, Traynor! You'll be keel-hauled for this!"

"Ta!" Sam grinned, wiggling her fingers at the hapless captain as she was hauled out.

* * *

Despite the humorous moments, Liara didn't need to even touch upon Del's spirit to know how ragged it was. She sat with her in the mess, watching her as she stirred her fork restlessly and without appetite through the food on her plate, pushing around far more than she was consuming.

She tried to keep the conversation on the positive- how good it was to have Tali back, Ashley's return- but she knew where Del's thoughts _really_ were.

Legion's loss was just another in a long line of devastating losses…losses that Liara feared were not over, even as she feared what any more would end up doing to Shepard. With every mission, every sleepless night, every friend sacrificed on the altar of this war, Wyatt was winning. Hard as the woman was fighting against that, Liara could see she was losing, and the realization left her trembling and cold inside.

Finally abandoning the hope that any more food would pass by Del's lips, Liara cleared their dishes and headed toward the lift with her love, hoping she'd at least be able to soothe her into a few hours rest. As they stepped aboard, she saw Traynor watching them from the lounge doorway, the human woman's worried expression as she met Liara's eyes showing how deeply she shared the asari's fears.

* * *

Ash was waiting dockside the next morning, as the _Normandy_ pulled into the Citadel, and as she and Del shared some friendly banter, Shepard actually began to feel human once more. It was the first time since Shepard had died on the first _Normandy_ that she felt like she and Ash were friends again. That painfully rocky road between then had been successfully navigated, and she could see no further traces of suspicion or betrayal in the other woman's eyes.

A full reunion would have to wait until later, however. Del had a thousand and one things to do and couldn't linger over old friends, much as she would have preferred it.

Leaving Williams to get settled, she headed first toward another docking area to meet Bailey. She found him in the midst of controlled chaos. This area had been allocated to housing arriving refugees from all over the galaxy, and Del could see a thousand different faces from a dozen different species all worn and hollow with despair. C-Sec was there to maintain order as much as possible, and to help ensure another incursion didn't take place.

"Looks like you got your hands full," Shepard said as she reached his side.

"Yeah, and more are arriving every hour," he told her. "We're low on medicine, shelter, food…this war is getting worse. Soon there's not going to be any place at all for them to go."

Tucking a cigar between her lips, she lit it and then let out a faint breath. "What about that 'Sanctuary' place?" she asked. "Newsfeeds repeat ads for it every few hours. Seems like I can't turn around without hearing about it."

"Don't know much myself. If they're taking on refugees, more power to 'em. Even so, doesn't sit quite right with me. Some of the folks gathering here are having a hard time reaching family and friends that headed that way. Course, communications aren't always the best nowadays."

Shepard grunted her agreement, her eyes moving over the sea of faces around her. Clustered in the distance she could see a group of asari, apparently commandos. Some wore the thousand-yard stare of soldiers who had forgotten what a bunk and a hot meal were like. Closer, a dozen ragged turians had congregated, checking over armor or treating obvious injuries.

Humans, salarians, volus and hanar…Del's felt an ache of sympathy for each and every one-yet a twist of fury at the same time. They were clustering together as species, segregating themselves from those around them.

_Even here, all they see is 'them' and not 'us'._

Misinterpreting her expression, Bailey nodded. "Makes you sick to see it, doesn't it? Some of these kids have no idea where their parents are. Some of these soldiers haven't had a break from combat in days, if not weeks. How do we make any of this better?"

"We stop this war," Shepard told him.

"Just that simple, huh? Oh. Nearly forgot the reason I wanted to see you. Security has tripled since that little Cerberus coup the last time you were here. This may look like chaos but right now you can't even squeak aboard this station without being verified and examined a dozen times…save for select VIPs like yourself, I mean. We did find out, though, that one person slipped the net and managed to get aboard outside of proper channels- though so far she's behaving herself."

"Who?"

"Aria T'Loak. Now, I don't like the woman myself, but so long as she doesn't stir up any grief I've got enough on my plate without fussing with her. Still, pays to keep an ear out, and word in the Wards is more than a few shady-types have been meeting with her in Purgatory- that's a bar out by the 18 blocks."

"How shady are these types?"

"Eclipse. Blue Suns. Della Sear, and a handful of 'independents'."

"And you want me to find out what they're up to?"

"No, actually. Well, it _would_ be nice to find out exactly why Aria is here instead of on Omega, but like I said…she hasn't caused any trouble so far, other than just being here undeclared. Instead, I got to thinking. Those gangs, added up, amount to at least a fairly respectable militia, if not a full army. They listen to T'Loak- and if anyone could get _T'Loak_ to listen, it'd be you."

Shepard looked at him. "That's not a half bad idea. Purgatory you said?"

"Yeah, she's been down there pretty much constant since she showed up."

"I'll have a chat with her. Likely won't be until tomorrow…I have a meeting with Tevos and a dozen other things I need to get done today, but I'll put her on my list."

"Good. I much prefer the idea of those boys fighting against the reapers instead of stirring up trouble or profiteering from all this misery."

"So would I. Thanks, Bailey."

He nodded. "I gotta get back to this mess and I don't need to keep you from your work any longer. Good luck, Shepard. Let me know how it goes."

* * *

The meeting with Tevos didn't go as well as Shepard had hoped…and she hadn't hoped for much. She was about full up to her eyeballs of the asari's false sympathy, offering condolences and understanding and yet at the same time, refusing to do a single goddamn thing to help.

While in the Council Tower she had the chance to see both Udina and Valern, who had returned from Kahje in the wake of the Tide's release of control. Valern seemed all right, if a bit quiet and apologetic. Udina, on the other hand, seemed lethargic and even more gaunt than he had before- if such a thing was even possible.

Del's frustrations didn't end at the Tower, however, and by the time she was walking through the marketplace in the lower wards, her headache was back and raging. She wished Liara was there, but the asari had her own projects she needed to tend to, now that her work as the Broker was back in full swing.

Del was debating calling her and seeing if they could meet for at least a few minutes, when a familiar voice called to her from across the walkway.

"Captain!"

Squinting, she turned her head and paused, a waving hand catching her attention. Traynor was seated at an al fresco table outside a small café. As Del spotted her, Sam waved again and smiled, gesturing at her.

Striding across the walkway, Shepard noticed the holographic chess board set up in front of the specialist. "Afternoon, Traynor."

"I was just having some lunch, Captain. Have you eaten yet?"

"Oh, not yet. Busy morning."

Traynor gestured at the chair opposite her. "Well, sit. Lunch is on me."

"That's nice of you, Sam, but-"

"But…you can't spare thirty minutes to eat? Besides, I seem to recall you promising to play a game of chess with me, or perhaps that was some _other_ dashing Alliance captain? Must have been- _Shepard_ wouldn't break a promise like that."

Del gave her a dry look, then eyed the board warily. "You _know_ I don't know how to play."

"No one knows how to do anything until they learn. Come on. Thirty minutes. Food. I'll even buy you a beer."

When Del still hesitated, Traynor gave her a look. "Or I can tattle once again? Tell Liara that you aren't eating-"

"That's dirty pool and you know it."

"All's fair, Captain."

Conceding, hoping that maybe a little food and at least the beer would help her headache, Shepard finally sat down. Sam beamed, waving over the waitress. As the girl hurried away with Del's order, Traynor reset the board.

"Normally I like playing with real pieces. There's something about holding the weight of them in your hands. But, I left my board back at my apartment before the _Normandy_ left Vancouver, and this was all I could afford to replace it."

She ran through the rules quickly, and to Del it did seem simple enough. Half an hour later, the remnants of her food and beer sitting nearby, her headache had indeed been fairly assuaged, even if her scowl had not.

"The fuck? _C'mon!"_

"That's check mate again, Shepard," Sam said with a grin.

"Jesus fuck…in _any_ real-life combat situation, that strategy would have worked!"

"Yes, but real-life combat situations aren't played on an eight by eight grid," Traynor said with a giggle. Shepard huffed, folding her arms as she sat back.

"I'm going to have Tali hack your board," she said. Traynor blinked at her.

"What? What for?"

"I'm going to have her arm my pawns with teeny tiny little virtual grenade launchers. That'll take care of your quarterbacks quite nicely."

Traynor stared, then erupted into laughter. It was amusing enough that Shepard- for some reason- insisted on calling the knights on the board 'quarterbacks', but _teeny tiny grenade launchers_?

Shepard gave her a lopsided grin, and Traynor shook her head, wiping her eyes as she got herself somewhat under control again. "Blowing things up doesn't solve _every_ problem!"

"Please. Works aces for me," Del joked, then glanced at her chrono. "Shit. I need to get back to it, Sam. Got a few more problems waiting for me that I seriously _wish_ I could just blow the fuck up."

Traynor sobered, nodding as she powered down the board. "I'm glad you took at least a little break, Captain. Times like these, stopping and remembering the good things is important."

"Yeah…and I _guess_ it was fun, even if this game _is_ completely ridiculous."

"Sour grapes, Princess…sour grapes."

"Ooh, call me Princess again, _I dare you_," Del teased as she got to her feet. "You'll _beg_ me to let you clean those latrines with your tooth-"

As she rose, Traynor looked up at her, another newly-born smile suddenly flashing away as she spotted a pinpoint of red light drifting up Del's shirt. The table tottered and the chair clattered aside as Traynor clumsily surged up, tackling Shepard and breaking her off mid-sentence.

Shepard, taken utterly by surprise, crashed to the ground underneath Traynor, her arm barking sharply against her own chair on the way down. A sharp, hollow _pow!_ seemed to punctuate their impact with the floor, dark glass shattering as the empty beer bottle exploded.

Del's head rung with one word.

_Sniper!_

Someone screamed. There was another, deeper impact and she half saw the table falling to one side, a hole the size of a fist torn through its top, a gap in the torn table cloth smoking slightly. One arm flinging around Traynor, Del rolled to the side to be better covered, her other hand groping for the pistol on her hip. Drawing it, Shepard turned her head.

Café patrons and passers-by were now rushing for cover. Pushing herself up, grabbing the table, Shepard pulled it closer and kept crouched, seeking along the street. In the distance, along one of the upper maintenance catwalks, she saw a shadow dart away.

"Traynor, you-"

She started to turn her head when she noticed the dark crimson smeared over her arm…the same one she'd flung around Sam when she'd rolled. Snapping around, her eyes went wide.

Sam was still on the ground, half-slumped onto one side. A lake of crimson was spreading steadily beneath her.

"_Sam!"_

She snagged the edge of the table cloth and ripped it free, wadding it up and grabbing hold of Traynor. Groping only momentarily for the wound, she jammed the cloth hard against it, then looked up. Spying their pale waitress crouched nearby behind a planter, she called out.

"Here! Come here!"

The girl shook, then moved in an awkward, crouching walk toward them, going as fast as she could without standing up and exposing herself. Grabbing her hand as she drew near, Shepard planted it over the cloth. "Hold it _tight_, stop the bleeding! Get someone to call the fucking medics!"

"The shooter…"

"Stay here, stay low, and _stop the fucking bleeding_!"

Darting out from cover, Shepard pelted down the street toward the catwalk access.

The air up here seemed closer somehow, even dusty despite the Citadel's fresh filtration systems. Shepard hurried at a crouching walk to the spot where she'd seen the sniper, her pistol gripped in white-knuckled determination. Hearing a commotion not far away, she straightened, rushing toward a corner and then carefully peering around it.

Two forms were half shrouded in darkness. One- a batarian from the look of it- sagged into a boneless heap on the ground, a Mantis sniper discarded only a foot or two away. The second form, a drell, took a step backward, then slumped a little on the wall.

Rounding the corner, Shepard aimed at the batarian's head and fired a single round, shattering his skull even though it was clear the man was already dead. Tucking her pistol away she rushed forward and caught hold of the drell.

"Thane!"

He was breathing in thick, asthmatic gasps, but his voice was calm as he spoke. "Hello, Del. My apologies. I'm afraid my condition has become…_limiting_."

"What are you even doing here? Why aren't you in the hospital?"

"I told you before, Shepard. My time is over, but I can still look after my friends in what days I have left to me. I've been following you since you docked this morning…as has your batarian stalker. I lost him briefly…I'm sorry, Shepard. If I were at the top of my game-"

Del looked over at the dead sniper, recognizing- even with his newly shattered skull –the same batarian she and Thane had confronted weeks ago in a Citadel alley.

_I should have killed him then. Unarmed or not, I should have killed him __**then**__. Now Sam and Thane…_

The drell coughed again, a deep and rattling sound that made him stumble. Shepard caught him, then noticed blood as his hand dropped away from his side. At his feet, she noticed a small blade.

"_Fuck!"_

"As I said…off my game," he repeated softly. Gripping his arm, she slung it around her shoulder, taking his weight and heading toward the access.

They made it to the street to find C-Sec had arrived, as had some medics. Spying them, a pair of the latter rushed their way, Bailey on their heels.

"He's been stabbed," Shepard heard herself say as the two men took Thane from her.

"Shepard, what happened?" Bailey asked, reaching her side.

"Sniper. Batarian. Shot at me from the catwalk. Thane took him down. If it hadn't been for him and Traynor…"

Her eyes moved to the cluster of medics gathered over by the café. The young waitress was standing nearby, pale, with one hand over her mouth. Her eyes were blank, glazed. Shoving past Bailey, Shepard ran that way, noticing the medics were there but not doing much.

"Why aren't they helping her?" She demanded, then reached their side, grabbing one of the medics and yanking him back. "_Why aren't you helping her_?"

"I-I'm sorry, Captain-"

Del didn't hear his surprised stammer. Her eyes were fixed on the quiet Specialist, lying still on the floor. Her face was pale but serene. Kneeling next to her, ignoring the blood, Del cupped her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do-"

A demon of fury rose up in her, and she turned, grabbing the man.

"_She took a bullet for me goddamn you! You don't give up on her, do you fucking hear me? __**YOU FUCKING HELP HER!**__"_

Bailey and another officer grabbed her, trying to get her to release her grip. "Shepard! This isn't his fault! Let him go!"

"_**YOU FUCKING HELP HER!"**_

Her hand tore free of the man's shirt and he stumbled back, lifting his hands. "I can't! _I can't!_ I'm so sorry, Captain, but there's _nothing_ we can do! We scanned her, _twice_! The bullet passed through her spinal column and ruptured her heart! There is nothing we can do! There's nothing _anyone_ can do!"

Shepard's ears were rushing with the force of her heartbeat, her teeth aching under pressure as she clenched them. Tearing back away from Bailey she stumbled a step or two away, then turned and crouched beside Traynor again.

As she did so, it was as if some kind of switch were thrown deep inside her. Her face went blank, schooling once again, her reddened eyes fixing on Sam's face.

"Shepard…you ok?" Bailey asked warily, touching her shoulder.

"What about Thane?" she asked.

"They're taking him back to Heurta."

"You'll find the batarian dead near where we came down. I'm going to Heurta."

"We'll take care of everything," he said. "We'll treat her with every respect, I swear it to you."

_She died for me_, Shepard thought weakly, then got to her feet.

* * *

Shepard sat outside the door on an uncomfortable bench. Her forehead was propped on her hand, fingers tangled in her dark hair as it hung around her face. Along her arm, the heavy smear of Traynor's blood was drying to a dark maroon.

She had arrived at Heurta only to be escorted here to wait. Over and over through her mind, she could see Sam looking up at her from the chess board. She could see that smile snap away as she lunged.

_She must have seen the target laser on my shirt_, she thought hollowly. _Didn't think, just reacted. The bullet must have hit her that same instant she tackled me. It's a miracle it didn't go all the way through and hit me regardless._

Her lips tightened in a wry grimace. _Miracle. Yeah. Right. Someone else died under my watch. Someone else is gone because of me. She's gone, I'm not. That's not a fucking miracle…just another cruel fucking joke._

The door to the room opened, a salarian doctor emerging. He didn't look at her. If he even noticed her, he gave no indication. Shepard lifted her head, glancing at him. Her muscles were just tensing to rise and grab hold of him, demanding to know what the fuck was going on, when a voice spoke from the room doorway.

"Captain Shepard?"

It was Kolyat. He gestured at her as her eyes met his.

"Please. Come in."

Wiping her palms off on her thighs, she rose and stepped over. He didn't at first move to let her in, pausing long enough to lightly touch her arm. "Nothing can be done," he said. "The wound itself is not too bad, but he lost a good deal of blood. It was barely able to transport oxygen before, with the loss…"

"A transfusion? They're not even going to try-"

"It would do no good. The amount he needs to even make a difference…and it would only buy him a few more minutes. It is all right, Captain-"

"_The fuck it is!"_

"I understand your feeling, but my father made peace with his fate a long time ago. He is ready. He would like to speak to you."

Del's jaw flexed, as did a fist, before she forced it to loosen. Stepping past Kolyat she entered the room, walking over to the bedside.

Thane looked small on the sheets, drained of all color save gray. He opened his eyes and looked at her as she drew near.

"I'm glad you came."

"Thane-"

"This is not your fault. At most, I've only lost a day, perhaps two. I am at peace, Shepard."

"You shouldn't have been out running around trying to cover my ass, Thane! You should have been taking care of yourself!"

He arched a brow slightly. "Anger is normal, Del…especially for you. I understand. This is my time. My fight is done."

"I…I have a prayer book," Kolyat said gently as he stepped up beside her. "If you don't mind, Captain, would you join me?"

She looked at him with weary, fuming bafflement, before weakly nodding. He nodded back, then opened the book, flipping a few pages. Clearing his throat, he looked at Thane a moment. The older drell weakly lifted a hand toward Del. Reaching out, she took it and gave it a squeeze as Kolyat began to speak.

"Kalahira, the tides follow your command. Kalahira, our lives follow your command."

_Kalahira is an ass if that's true,_ Del thought distantly.

"Kalahira. This one's heart is pure, but beset by wickedness and contention."

Kolyat held the book out to her, and when she glanced at him, he nodded with encouragement. Still gripping Thane's hand, she peered at the tiny words just above his thumb, and cleared her throat.

"Kalahira…guide this one to where the traveler never tires, the lover never leaves, the hungry never starve. Guide this one, Kalahira, and she will be a companion to you as she was to me."

He nodded, and slowly closed the book. Shepard's eyes returned to Thane. He was still looking at her, but the damp, labored breaths had fallen still, his gaze dull and fixed. The fingers in her hand were limp. Shepard looked back at him numbly as Kolyat leaned forward, closing his father's eyes.

"Kolyat, at the end of the prayer, why did it say 'she'?"

"Father made his peace, Captain," Kolyat told her patiently, drawing his hand back. "He repaid what his soul owed. He did not want this prayer for himself."

She lay Thane's hand down on the sheet, barely feeling the younger drell grip her shoulder lightly.

"This prayer was for _you_."

* * *

Liara had not returned to the _Normandy_ when Del strode back on board. Word of what had happened may not have even reached her, yet. Shepard hadn't tried to contact her, and was only aware of faces enough to know that the asari was not among them.

Someone spoke to her, but the words were just distant, meaningless sound. Her boots carried her past to the lift, and then into the Nest. Almost absently, her blood-stained fingers pressed the door lock, and she turned into her office.

The bottle of pris para had no flavor for once. Tossing the lid aside she upended it against her lips, one, two, and then three large swallows falling down her throat with no burn, no taste. The cigar she jammed between her teeth was similarly dry and bland.

She sat back in her office chair, slumped a moment, before almost convulsively rising again. Three strides carried her across the alcove, before she turned and strode back the other way. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. Ash crumpled off the cigar and tumbled over her wrist, unnoticed. She spat out the spent butt without thought, and upended the pris para again.

Two, three swallows.

Her fist clenched. The bottom of the bottle slammed down to her desk hard enough to crack the corner of it. Dribbles of luminous green yellow welled over the metal, then spilled to the floor. Gripping the neck, she spun and smashed it into her console.

Glass and liquor exploded everywhere. Thin lips skinned back over her teeth as she grabbed the back of her chair, rattling it violently a moment as if seeking to throttle some unseen enemy. Whooping, hissing sounds of grief and wrath heated her throat.

Then, she wailed, lifting the chair and flinging it with all the force that she could manage, whipping it around as she took a step forward.

There was a horribly loud boom as the chair connected with the front of the aquarium. Hundreds of gallons of water rushed free, the initial force of it tearing the chair loose of her hands. She stumbled back as the water surged over her knees and boots, waterfalling over the steps and down into the living area.

As the rush died, wet, frantic sounds filled the air. Among the streams of water and litter of gravel and plants, her fish flopped and gaped, sides heaving, fins slapping. Del stared at them, then took a step to the side. Her hand groped out as she stumbled, catching herself on the steps before she dropped into a sit. Wet soaked through the rear of her trousers. A few inches away, a small eel writhed and twisted in dying confusion.

She saw her hand reach out. Felt the wet slick of its body as her fingers closed around it. Its sinewy form flexed and twisted against her hand before its efforts slipped it right out of her fingers. It landed with a wet slap on the stairs, coiling almost spastically.

Del's hand lowered again, this time to her hip. She drew her pistol, shifting it into her lap. Her dark brown eyes reflected the cold, metal lines of the weapon.

Her head ached. Her eyes burned. She blinked just once, and saw the pat of wet as it dropped onto her wrist.

The pistol lifted.

Her finger slipped around the trigger.

The cool metal barrel felt almost soothing against her temple, and on the steps, the dying eel fell still.

Del closed her eyes.


	65. Chapter 65

A/N: Many thanks once again to the incomparable Bladhaire.

* * *

Liara had just stepped away from a merchant's kiosk, having arranged several packages to be delivered to the _Normandy_, when her omni-tool suddenly pinged.

She smiled faintly as she turned and looked at it, expecting it was Shepard hoping to meet for lunch. It had been a long morning, meeting with contacts and looking for items essential to a project she had in the works, and her stomach was reminding her just how small and long ago breakfast was.

Instead, she saw the _Normandy's_ emergency channel ident. Striding away from the kiosks to have at least the semblance of privacy, she answered it.

"Liara."

"_Liara, please return to the __**Normandy**__ immediately."_ EDI sounded even and professional as always, but there was an undercurrent of concern that tightened the asari's stomach and made her forget all thought of food. She started to walk again, heading toward the docking bay and picking up speed.

"What is it? What has happened?"

As EDI outlined the report that Bailey had given them, Liara felt the world narrow around her. Hearing of Traynor's fate closed her throat with a sudden surge of grief…one she struggled almost forcefully back. Mention that Thane was taken to Heurta only added a sharper edge to it.

"If Shepard is at Heurta I should head there," she said.

"_Shepard is no longer at Heurta. I am in contact with their receptionist. Liara…Thane has passed away as well. Shepard left the hospital immediately after, nearly twenty minutes ago. She confirmed no destination but it is likely she will return here."_

_Goddess! Thane gone too? This cannot be happening!_

"I will be there as quickly as I can, EDI."

She broke into a run, heading for a public trans terminal. It would take her a good ten minutes to reach the _Normandy_ from her current location, even with trans. Heurta was closer. If Shepard was indeed aiming to return to the ship, she would be arriving back on board any minute. Liara's only thought was to get to her. With Shepard's current emotional state, losing both Traynor and Thane in such a tragic manner-

_Goddess, please…please, be with her…_

* * *

Liara ran aboard the _Normandy_ a few minutes later. There were not many of the crew aboard, most having dispersed into the Citadel on both official and private business. Garrus and EDI, however, met her the moment she came on board.

"She blew through here about ten minutes ago," Garrus told her, the pair falling in behind the asari as she headed down into the CIC. "Didn't say anything to anyone, just went up to the Nest and locked it down."

"Was she hurt?" Liara asked as they crossed toward the lift.

"I don't believe so, not _physically_ anyway. She had some…some blood on her, but the look on her face-"

He was interrupted as EDI spoke. "There is a disturbance in Captain Shepard's quarters."

They rushed into the lift and the doors closed. "Disturbance, EDI?"

"I have accessed internal cameras. There is a great deal of damage to-" she broke off abruptly, and then spoke again, the most alarm that Liara had ever heard from the synthetic plain in her voice. " - _weapons discharge in Captain Shepard's quarters."_

Everything suddenly seemed to slow, the very air around the trio congealing into ice. The lift docked, Liara rushing out of it as soon as the door had parted enough for her to slip through, and crossing the alcove.

Shepard had the door to the Nest locked down, but as the asari reached it, the lock changed from red to green, EDI overriding it.

Bursting in, Liara's forward momentum faltered as she took in the scene before her. Part of the office and lower area of Shepard's cabin was flooded with water - shattered glass, aquarium plants and dying fish were spread in a rough arc across the floor. A bent chair lay near the center of the room, the apparent cause of the gaping hole in the glass of the fish tank.

On the steps leading down into the main living area sat Shepard, head bowed forward. Her left hand rested on the floor beside her, the other half draped over her knee. Beyond her, snow drifts of shredded foam padding were slowly settling, a mist of destruction born from the gaping rents in the pillows and mattress of the bed.

Slowly circling Shepard, Liara could see the woman trembling, her face blank and gaze fixed at some point far from this room. Her heart clenched painfully as the asari spotted the discarded pistol lying between Shepard's feet in a puddle of water, overheated and jammed.

Garrus and EDI paused just inside the door, taking in the scene. The turian looked at the asari with a grieved expression. _"Li…?"_

Glancing at the two briefly Liara raised a hand and shook her head slightly. EDI stepped back a pace, lightly touched Garrus's arm before they withdrew, the turian's mandibles flaring with concern. There was a faint hiss as the Nest doors closed after them.

Crouching, Liara reached out and rested her hand on Shepard's arm. "Del?"

Starting at the contact, Shepard lifted her head and turned towards Liara slightly but there was no recognition in her eyes, just pain and that haunting far away gaze. Had Liara been a marine, she would have called it a 'thousand yard stare'.

Gently grasping Shepard's arm Liara coaxed the woman to her feet and led her from the cabin, gravel and glass crunching underfoot.

Shepard said nothing as they entered the lift and descended. Not the tallest of women, she suddenly seemed very small, as though the inner fire that gave her the almost forceful presence she normally carried had been extinguished.

They encountered no one as Liara led the captain from the elevator to her own cabin. She didn't know whether this was purely by chance, or if Garrus had run interference, but she was grateful nonetheless. Shepard didn't need to be seen like this by her crew.

Waving Glyph away she they entered the cabin, Liara guided Shepard to the bed, the woman's movements stiff and mechanical as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Kneeling, Liara quickly removed Shepard's boots. Seeming to return to herself for a moment, Del drew her legs up as soon as her second boot was removed, rolling away from Liara as she lay down on the bed, her back to the asari.

Straightening, Liara felt heat rushing to her eyes as her vision blurred. Desperately she pushed aside the urge to cry. Now was not the time for that. Now was the time for strength, for resilience. Del needed her and she could not - _would_ not - fail in that undertaking.

Lying down behind Shepard, Liara snaked her arms around the woman and drew her close, both women unconsciously twining their legs together. Liara took a measure of comfort from that, and from the soft sigh that escaped Del's throat as she pressed back into the embrace.

The silence stretched out, Liara not trusting herself to speak, and not knowing what she would say even if she could. Eventually, it was Shepard who broke the quiet.

"Why did she do it, Tianlán?"

Pressing her face into the nape of Shepard's neck, Liara's reply was soft, her voice breaking.

"I do not know, Shepard."

"It should have been me. That bullet was meant for _me_."

Reflexively tightening her arms around Del, Liara felt her eyes heat again. There was no possible response she could make to that statement other than to hold the woman she loved as close to her as she was able.

Sensing Liara's distress, Del loosened the asari's grip around her slightly, enough for her to roll over and wrap her own arms around Liara. Embracing each other tightly, hot tears mingling on the pillow beneath their heads, they simply lay there together and let their breathing and the warmth of their bodies offer what comfort it could to their breaking hearts.

* * *

EDI's chassis was parked and apparently idle in the AI suite, the synthetic having 'retreated' there after she and Garrus left Liara to tend to Del. Though she was not using the mobile platform at the moment, EDI herself was not idle. Indeed, she was quite…

…well, _troubled_ was the only word she had to explain it.

Over and over, she ran the security recordings from Shepard's quarters. She saw Del's state of agitation as she paced her office, growing visibly more distressed as time went on. She saw the breaking of the aquarium, the flood of water and the captain's half-collapse on the stairs.

It was when Del put the pistol to her head that EDI felt a very strong reaction, one that did not diminish upon repeated playthroughs, although she already knew what events would follow.

Shepard only held the gun to her head for two point three seconds, before her face seemed to contort, and she pulled it away, firing several times in fury at the bed across the living area. Only when the clip overheated did she drop the weapon, hanging her head and staying inert until Liara, Garrus, and EDI herself entered moments later.

Yet despite knowing the outcome, each time that EDI observed the pistol going to Shepard's temple, the same reaction occurred. That it was emotional in nature was clear. She had experienced emotions many times before, after all- but it was the _strength_ of the emotion that was disconcerting.

Humor, friendship, affection, happiness, gratification, these she had all identified in her daily interactions with others- most obviously, Jeff, though they did extend to the whole crew. Never before had she actually felt _fear_, though. Hesitation, worry, even apprehension, yes- but true _fear_?

_If this is fear, how do organics endure it? How do they overcome it? This is most unpleasant._

She tried to sort what she was feeling, put it into rational categories to be analyzed individually, but it didn't seem to be working. Mixed in with the 'fear' that she felt over Del's near suicide, was the sense of grief and loss at Traynor's death. One would not be removed from the other…indeed, it seemed that one was actually _feeding_ the other, increasing her apprehension of Shepard's near-action when she considered Traynor was gone.

In an attempt to allay these sensations, she accessed the secure cameras in Liara's room and focused her thoughts there. Liara and Del were upon the bed, holding each other. Given their vital signs-both physical and chemical in nature- they were asleep. It reassured the uncertain AI, and she found some measure of peace.

* * *

It was a few hours later that Liara woke from a troubled sleep to find her arms were empty. Sitting up, her shoulders loosened a little in relief as she saw Del sitting at the foot of the bed. Shifting to her knees, the asari moved up behind her, draping herself over Shepard's back and winding her arms about the human woman's waist, holding her tight.

"Hey," Del said softly.

Liara nuzzled in against her ear, eyes closed against the damp that wanted to rise once more. "I am so sorry about Samantha, and Thane. I am so sorry I was not there-"

Shepard reached up, lightly hugging Liara's arm against her a moment before she gently drew it away, shifting to look at the asari. Her brown eyes were weary, reddened, but they had regained some of their focus. She touched Liara's cheek a moment, before her hand fell away.

"She died for me," she said. "They both did. Sam saw the laser point on my shirt…she threw herself in front of that bullet without hesitation."

"She was a wonderful woman, and a dear friend," Liara whispered. "She cared about you very much, Shepard. As a person as well as a commanding officer. She saved your life, and for that…" Her blue eyes shimmered with sudden tears, and she lowered her gaze. "…for that I cannot thank her enough."

Del touched her cheek again, the motion brief, before she looked away. After a long silence, she almost listlessly spoke. "I wrecked my room."

"It can be repaired and cleaned," Liara told her. Brows knitting, she could feel herself trembling a little as she searched her love's face. Not really wanting to hear the answer, she finally forced herself to ask.

"Del…your pistol…?"

Shepard let out a breath that could have been anything from frustration, to a suppressed and mirthless laugh. "Syd, and Mordin, Legion and Thane and Traynor…they all gave their lives selflessly. They all saw…they saw _something_ in me. They had faith in it- faith enough two of them _died_ for it. I…I have this voice in my head, Li…_his_ voice, constantly telling me that you aren't worth it, that none of you are worth it. That voice is a _fucking liar_. And I'll be good goddamned if I give up because of a_ fucking liar._ I'll be _good fucking goddamned_ before I let that _slimey, weasley chun zhu son of a bitch_ tell me that _they_ weren't worth it, that _you_ aren't worth it, _that every fucking thing I've fought for since I put on this fucking uniform isn't worth it!"_

Liara hugged her tight, and Del lowered her head, clinging to her as her voice thickened, her cheeks going damp. "_Fuck Wyatt_. I love you, and I'm going to fucking _fight_ for you. Sam died because she believed in me, and I'm _not_ going to let her down!"

Drawing back, she kissed the asari's forehead almost roughly, before looking into her eyes. If she was aware of the tears on her face, she made no move to hide them or wipe them away.

"I'm not going to let him break me. I'm not going to let _anything_ break me. I deserve to be happy, goddamnit, and if I go down, then _by God_ I'm going down kicking and screaming and dealing a righteous hell the likes of which even the _fucking reapers_ have never seen! For Sam. For Mordin. For Legion…for _you_."

She hugged the woman tightly, burying her face against her neck.

"And damn it…for _me _too."

* * *

Private Westmoreland, bleary eyed and nursing a cup of coffee, headed across the mess and toward the lift to report up to the war room for her shift. It had been two days since Traynor's death, and the _Normandy_ was still docked at the Citadel. Though she understood the reasons for the delay, she found the idle waiting and skeleton shifts more exhausting even than pitched battle.

Half her mind was still in her bunk, so when the lift doors suddenly opened in front of her, disgorging a very hurried Miranda and Riot, she jumped back in gaping surprise, managing to spill the coffee down the front of her uniform.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Miranda called back to her, not pausing. The young rachni, as well, waved her appendages a bit in a manner that suggested much the same sentiment, before she pursued the running Australian.

Miranda spotted Liara, Garrus, Ashley and Tali at the far table, just settling in to eat breakfast. All four looked up in surprise as the pair ran over, Ashley's expression tinged with a little tense suspicion. Though she'd finally found a peace with Del's involuntary involvement with Cerberus, Miranda was another story altogether, and interactions between the pair were chilly at best.

Liara blinked. "Miranda, what-?"

"Where's Del?"

"She's in the infirmary, talking with Nan. What is it?"

"I need her guitar. Can you get her guitar?"

"Her _guitar_? Why do you need-"

"Just…get it would you?" Miranda asked, gesturing at the lift even as she headed toward the infirmary.

* * *

Del and Nan were alone in the infirmary, talking quietly together with the older woman's hand resting on the captain's shoulder. When Miranda ran in, both women started in surprise, Del's expression immediately schooling, her shoulder's squaring.

"Miranda, what's wrong?"

"Del, that song you've been writing for Liara…when did you start it?"

Shepard frowned in confusion. "What?"

"When did you start writing it?"

"I don't know…back on Earth, I guess."

"I need you to think hard for a moment. You're sure it was on Earth? During your incarceration?"

Del scowled a little, trying to remember. "Yes. I'm sure it was on Earth. I was…I was looking out the window. It was right before Vega came in to take me down to see the Board-"

"Fantastic! Can you come to the lounge-"

"Fantastic _why_? Miranda, _start talking_. What the fuck is going on?" Shepard folded her arms with a stern glare. It faded into bafflement as Miranda fixed her with a look and a smile.

"I think Riot and I have found the answer to your indoctrination."

* * *

Ashley, Tali, Garrus, Shepard, Riot, Nan, Chakwas, and Miranda gathered in the lounge, the latter speaking quickly as she released a chair's magnetic locks and pulled it toward the center of the room. "I thought it was strange, when Helen was monitoring you after you and Tali had been spaced, and you started to hum. I realized that, several times when you were severely stressed or when Wyatt's xenophobic influence started showing that you would begin to hum. Sit."

"Music relaxes her," Nan said. "Surely it was just her way of coping with the stress…?"

"Then why the same song? I've seen her music library, she has thousands of songs she's quite familiar with to choose from. And why the _same bars_ over and over again?"

Shepard sat in the proffered chair, shaking her head. "I just can't figure out the end of the song, that's all. I get stuck in the same place."

"The chorus."

"Yes…"

"Wyatt's indoctrination…oh! Thank you, Li."

Liara appeared in the doorway, puzzlement on her face and Shepard's guitar in her hand. Miranda strode over, taking the instrument and walking over to Del, setting it in her lap. Shepard took it, her eyes still fixed on the Australian.

"You were saying? Wyatt's indoctrination…"

"According to Mordin's notes, Wyatt's indoctrination works on crude subharmonics. Sound vibrations that create a small hitch in the processing centers of the cerebral cortex, creating a 'mistake in code' that produces the desired, flawed conclusions. Reaper indoctrination starts the same way, though their process is far advanced and much more complex."

"Ok, right…he told me this."

"All of this is working on your subconscious, Shepard. The subharmonics were outside the frequency range of your _conscious_ hearing but you still 'heard' them. Nan told me you bought that first guitar you had from an antique store in New York very shortly after you left the institution. That you taught _yourself_ how to play it within a year, true? Not many people can do that. You have an inherent musical talent, and unconsciously, your brain has been going over and over the disharmonious sounds that Wyatt introduced into your brain while you were drugged…and _countering_ them."

"What? You're fucking kidding me!"

"I'm deadly serious. Vibrations, even musical ones, are just motion. Everything in the galaxy works on motion. Molecules, atoms, quarks…always in motion. Vibrational frequencies can be countered by _other_ vibrational frequencies of just the right type. They can affect each other positively or negatively, or even cancel each other out. When you first started writing that song, was the first part you thought up the chorus?"

"Yeah…"

"I examined the information that Mordin had on Wyatt's indoctrination tones and pinpointed the exact equivalent audible notes. Riot, can you…?"

She gestured at the guitar. Riot moved up, reaching out carefully with one claw and lightly touching the strings. Slowly, she plucked out a series of ten notes.

"That's what Wyatt's 'song' sounds like," Miranda told them. "The rachni communicate in music and color, I figured Riot would be the best source to go to, to test my theory. I gave her those ten notes, and asked her to give me the exact opposing notes. We used the computer to create the sounds, and I recorded them on my omni-tool. Del, before I play them, I want you to play the chorus of the song you're writing."

Shepard shifted the guitar a little, setting her fingers. She played a set of ten notes twice. Miranda smiled when she was done, and activated her omni-tool. The same ten notes played again.

"That is…that is _extraordinary_," Liara said as she moved over to Del's side, gripping her shoulder slightly.

"This is all fascinating but I'm incredibly confused…and by the looks on everyone else's faces, I'm not the only one," Ashley said.

Miranda looked at her. "The chorus that Shepard has been humming is the exact opposite tonal vibration to the subharmonic notes Wyatt used to indoctrinate her."

"Yeah, I got _that_ part, Einstein. What I _don't_ get is, if those notes will stop the indoctrination, then why isn't Shepard cured already? Shouldn't it have fixed things the very first time she hummed them?"

"Unfortunately, it's not quite so simple as all that."

"Of _course_ it fucking isn't," Del said, and Liara tightened her grip on her shoulder a little more, reassuring.

"Wyatt delivered his 'music' subharmonically- the frequency far outside the range that the human ear can consciously pick up on. Shepard instinctively knows the correct counter harmony, but she can only produce the sound herself in a way that humans can hear it…the guitar, her humming-neither instrument nor vocal cords are capable of attaining the proper penetrative frequency."

"A computer could," Tali said eagerly. "Just program that sequence and reproduce it back at the proper harmonic level."

"Again, not quite so simple," Miranda said. "It wasn't _just_ the moment of delivery in which those tones were played. They _continue_ to play over and over again in Shepard's primitive, unconscious mind. It's not a one shot and you're done, it's a process that takes time and repetition. You ever have a song stuck in your head? Same thing, but _this_ song was stuck on purpose, and behind the realm of conscious association. Because of what Wyatt did, it will keep on playing forever, reinforcing the indoctrination indefinitely using the brain's own electric and chemical processes. The only way to counter it is to play the correct sequence back indefinitely as well, perpetually counteracting and cancelling out the indoctrination."

"Keelah…"

"So now we know the answer, we just can't do anything about it," Shepard said.

"Were you anyone else, Shepard, you'd be exactly right. However, _your_ unique physical attributes present us the perfect solution. All we have to do is reprogram a small portion of your nanites. Normally, the nanites move freely and fluidly throughout your system, clustering where they're needed before moving on. I can alter this in a few thousand of them, have them remain stationary in the affected portion of your brain. Once fixed there, they'll do nothing else except indefinitely reproduce your 'chorus' at the proper frequency to counteract the indoctrination."

Shepard stood up, setting the guitar aside and looking intently into Miranda's eyes. "How long will it take?"

"A few hours to make the adjustments, and then I can implement the change," Miranda told her. "However it won't be like flipping a switch. It took time for the indoctrination to progress this far, and it will take time for the effects to fade away. A few weeks perhaps."

"Risks?"

"None. Riot and I are absolutely positive that this will work, Del. I would stake everything I have on it."

Del gripped her arm, and for the first time in two days, she smiled. "Then let's fucking _do it_."


	66. Chapter 66

A/N: Sorry no updates until now…been a strange week. Hopefully next week I'll be back on schedule.

Enjoy!

* * *

_The little asari sat on Shepard's knee, hand wrapped around the human woman's fingers. Bouncing her leg up and down, Shepard grinned as the little girl laughed, huge pearlescent tears running down her pudgy cheeks._

_Del found herself giggling a little in response…_

…then turned in bleary, sleepy-eyed confusion as a gentle hand grasped her arm. "Li?" she asked, the dream fading away as her quarters solidified around her.

Liara smiled, leaning close enough to lightly kiss her ear. "You were laughing in your sleep," she said with soft amusement. Del blinked at her, then colored.

"I was not."

"You were."

"You'll never prove it in a court of law…"

"I'm sure EDI has recordings."

"Treachery," Del said, the word half swallowed in a yawn. "All of it. I'm surrounded by traitors."

Liara smiled again, nestling close to Shepard's side and resting her head on her shoulder. "It was good to hear," she said.

Too often since Earth, had Shepard woken with a gasp of alarm, or a jolt of frightened surprise. The nightmares had been relentless. Now, though it was only a week since Miranda had adjusted the nanites in Del's head to compensate for Wyatt's indoctrination, her sleep was notably easier, less disturbed. To hear her actually laugh rather than cry out was a music all of its own.

Del traced patterns on Liara's arm with her fingertips, already starting to doze again though she knew they had to be up soon anyway. Per Bailey's advice, she had talked with Aria T'Loak and discovered that Cerberus had stolen Omega out from under her. Though much of Cerberus seemed to be disorganized and even retreating with the Tide gone, Omega remained sealed up tighter than Udina's asshole.

To Shepard's surprise, Aria didn't ask her to take it back in exchange for her assistance with the war. She seemed darkly bent on using her own methods to do so. When Del asked about the gangs, Aria was fairly agreeable…but there was a catch.

There was always a catch.

Much of the gangs were scattered about, and Del would have to convince their respective heads to call them in and send them to war. She had Aria's backing and blessing, which counted for a lot…but talking such men and women into actually fighting the war instead of profiteering from it that required a stunning amount of negotiating and diplomacy.

It was a hell of a lot like dealing with politicians, point of fact.

_Still prefer them over Udina_, she thought as she danced the line between awake and asleep. Then Liara stirred a little, drawing her attention.

"What was it about?" the asari asked.

"Hmm?" Del turned her head and looked at her. "What was what about?"

"The dream. The one that made you laugh," Liara asked.

"Oh." Del could feel her cheeks heating a little. "Was just a dream. I can't really remember it now."

"Oh _really_?"

Of course Liara would know instantly that Del had lied. At least she sounded amused by it.

"Well-"

A musical chime interrupted Shepard, and she let out a breath of relief as Liara sat up, looking at her omni-tool.

"Saved by the bell," Liara teased, then regarded the message that appeared. Immediately her mirth faded into a look of concern, and she cast the blanket aside and rose.

"Tianlán? What's wrong?"

"Glyph just notified me that we've lost contact with Atyana and her squad."

Del sat up as well, ruffling a hand over her hair. "Oh? I thought they'd gone to the front?"

"No, they have been running some light missions for me, helping to escort resources to the Crucible and evacuating small pockets of refugees."

"They may have run into more trouble than they can handle. Can you get a fix on their last location?"

"Yes. I will go and review their last log entries and see if I can find anything useful."

She started to dress to head down to her own quarters. Rising, Shepard hugged her, lightly kissing her temple. "As soon as you have a location let Joker know and we'll head that way. I'm going to shower and head down to the CIC."

* * *

"I've got coordinates…not entirely sure what for," Joker said about twenty minutes later, looking over his shoulder. Del was hovering again, a cup of coffee in her hand.

He hated it when she hovered…and he got the sense she knew that, which was why she did it.

"Where are they?"

"Asari space. Kallini. It's flagged as a quarantine zone, Captain."

"Quarantine? Why?"

"There are no specifics, just the general warnings by the Thessian government. I know the asari aren't our enemies but they haven't exactly proven themselves our bosom buddies either. We go in there and they may take it…_badly_."

"I trust Li. Head us there and I'll get the story."

"You're the boss lady. Inputting coordinates now. ETA just over an hour and a half at FTL."

Turning with a nod, Shepard headed back toward the CIC. Almost unconsciously, her eyes moved over to the communications station, and she felt a momentary tightening in her gut. Private Westmoreland stood there in place of Traynor, and the reminder of loss always gave Del a bitter stab.

As she neared the galaxy map, Garrus, Miranda, and Liara came off the lift, the latter making a bee-line for her. "Are we on our way?"

"Joker's heading there now, but he tells me it's a quarantine zone?"

"Yes, but not as you imagine it. There is no danger of radiation or disease. That world contains a monastery."

Shepard looked at her oddly. "You…warn people away from _monasteries_?"

"We do when they are Ardat-Yakshi monasteries."

"Ardat-Yakshi…those are _bad_ if I remember right," Garrus said.

"You're sure Atyana and her commandos went there? Why would they do that?" Shepard asked.

"I am positive. According to their logs, they received a distress call and went to answer. Those who live at the monastery are there by choice, having selected isolation and a life of celibate study to death or becoming a fugitive monster. They have committed no crime beyond the accident of their birth, and have generally worked for centuries on meditative techniques to quiet their particular desires and achieve a perfect self-discipline. They are no less deserving than any other to be kept safe from harm."

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. It's just…after seeing what Morinth could do, I was bit surprised that they would _need_ any protection. They seem to handle themselves fine if she's any indication."

Liara inclined her head. "Which only leaves me to wonder what threat they may be facing that would not only silence an entire trained commando squad…but threaten the Ardat-Yakshi themselves."

"I'm guessing we're not going to like the answers to those questions," Garrus said.

Shepard was inclined to agree. She rubbed her forehead a moment. "I want my heavy hitters on this one. Liara, Riot, Javik, EDI, and Vega. Garrus, EDI will keep communications open with us at all times. If necessary, I'll have you send down a second squad under Ash."

"Understood."

"I'll see to some evac preparations in case we have to ferry some Ardat-Yakshi. We hit the ground in two hours."

* * *

The elegance of the compound's architecture surprised Del-though she wasn't quite sure why. The asari were always elegant in their building aesthetic, and the medieval idea that monasteries should be cold, square, and stone had long since been changed in human culture. Buddhists, for one, had some extraordinarily beautiful monasteries-some hundreds of years old- all over Earth and throughout several colonies.

Located in the rocky mountains on the southern hemisphere of this small planet, the Ardat-Yakshi monastery was set like a gem in the crown of a ragged troll king, breaking up the sharp, ugly cliffs with smooth sailing walls, delicate towers, and graceful lines. It was large, sprawling, and artistic, with hanging gardens, fountains, and stained glass windows.

There was also not a living soul to be seen.

"I have completed my scan of the exterior," EDI said as they set down. "There are two conveyances in evidence. The small ship belonging to the Colorless Wind Commandos, and an individual transport shuttle."

"Do we have an ident on that shuttle?"

"Negative. No ident exists. It appears to have been repurposed for private and anonymous use."

"Well, no invading army came in on an indi-trans," Shepard said. "Any unconventional threats?"

"There is no trace of biological or radiological threat that I can detect, Shepard."

"All right. We're heading in. Stay tight, keep 'em peeled."

She looked over at Riot as the shuttle door began to open. The young rachni was very excited to be included on her first 'real' mission. Shepard gave her a smile.

"You stick close, kiddo."

They emerged into the main courtyard. Though their hard-suits were climate controlled, her HUD displayed that, despite the altitude, it was really quite temperate out. The stars above the mountains seemed cut from diamond, the sky remarkably clear.

"EDI, I want a continuous scan for any communications bands other than ours," she said. "_Normandy_, we're dirt-side. So far all looks quiet."

"_Too_ quiet," Vega said with a grunt, breaking a long standing marine taboo.

"Jesus fuck, Vega! You know better than to ever say that!"

"Sorry Lola. Just slipped out."

"Yeah, well, if we get attacked by slime creatures from Mars now, I'm shooting _you_ first."

The main door was unlocked, the computer already having been overridden. They edged in cautiously, finding only a silent anteroom and nothing more. As they reached the interior door, Shepard gestured at Javik, the Prothean laying one hand carefully on the smooth metal and closing his eyes.

"The commandos entered through here. They were cautious but saw nothing that alarmed them."

"What about hostiles?"

"If they came here they did not use this doorway. I see nothing regarding hostiles."

Beyond the door was a wide hall, with arching windows and a pair of fountains. The water was still moving, chuckling quietly to itself as it bubbled and billowed into small ponds. Near the furthest pond a form lay sprawled on the marble in a swath of purple.

She silently ordered Vega and Javik to secure the hall as Liara moved toward the body. Crouching, she gently touched a cold cheek.

"It is one of the commandos. She has been dead for some time," she said. Shepard reached her side, crouching and pulling the girl onto her back, before grimacing.

"She wasn't shot. Those look almost like claw-marks."

"Claws that can tear through reinforced armor padding?"

"So it would seem. Her barrier generator is shorted out as well."

Riot, who was lingering nearby, moved in agitation and jarred Del. Looking up at her, Shepard shook her head, thinking the young rachni was just disturbed by the sight of the ravaged body. "I know she's not pretty, kiddo, but-"

Riot's agitation grew, and she gripped at Del's hand, chittering madly. Unfortunately with her glove on, communication was impossible. Straightening, Del peeled off the glove and immediately her hand was seized by the young rachni.

**THERE IS DANGER! I HEAR-**

There was a jagged lightning bolt of color through her mind. Like a negative of an actual flash of real lightning, it was a deep and ominous black, the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. It immediately raised hairs.

Releasing the rachni, Del turned her head, straining. She couldn't hear anything.

"EDI, Riot is hearing something. Can you pick anything up on your sub-audial bands?"

The synthetic cocked her head a moment. "Yes. I am picking up a faint sound, two floors beneath our current location."

"Can you replicate?"

"Yes, one moment. Replicating and amplifying."

EDI's mouth dropped open a moment later, and the most horrible scream echoed throughout the entry chamber. Not only did it sound inhuman, Del could barely imagine any organic throat making it. It was as if someone had taken a dozen drills and ran their bits sideways over sheet metal all at the same time.

If Riot's visual replication of this sound had lifted her hair, actually _hearing_ it set every fiber of her body on edge.

"Goddess, that is unnerving!" Liara said, going pale as the shriek faded away. Javik and Vega, drawn by the sound, came rushing over, weapons ready.

"The hell was that?" Vega asked, lowering his rifle when he saw no obvious threat.

"That was EDI, reproducing a sound from somewhere deeper in this complex," Del said.

"Something we're gonna have to shoot, I'll betcha."

"Let's keep moving. Slow and cautious. If whatever that thing is keeps making that sound, at least it won't be able to sneak up on us."

* * *

There was another dead commando at the bottom of the steps leading into an enclosed garden…only the second they'd seen since they'd arrived. This one was similarly mauled, but not as badly, and it seemed she had met her end by either colliding hard with a wall, or dropping off a high balcony above them. Her neck and her arm were severely twisted, and her eyes long dulled as she stared sightlessly at those gathered around her.

They had crossed about half of the monastery now, and so far there had been no gunshots, and no other evidence of the commandos or Ardat-Yakshi. Only once more had they heard that unnerving shriek, this time loud enough it did not need EDI's amplification, though it was also not close.

The fronds of broad, potted ferns brushed past Del's armor as they continued on. Riot, still nervous, edged along beside her, bravely refusing to retreat to the rear of the group.

Then, motion. Del caught it out of the corner of her eye, snapping around as her rifle lifted. A form, clearly asari, strode out of a shadowed doorway at the far end of the garden. Almost as soon as she'd lifted her rifle, she lowered it again.

"Samara?"

"Hello, Shepard," the justicar said as she walked toward them.

"What are you doing here? Do you know what's going on?"

"I believe I know little more than you do. I have not been here long." Drawing to a halt, she nodded politely to Liara, raising a brow briefly at Riot and the stone-faced Javik. "I heard the distress call and came to find my daughters."

"Your…oh. That's right." Del had forgotten that Morinth wasn't Samara's only child, and that all three of her daughters were Ardat-Yakshi. Samara had said the other two had elected to go to a monastery- _this_ monastery, evidently. "A commando unit we were in contact with came here in answer to the call as well, and we lost communication."

"I suggest we look together. The hall beyond goes into two different wings. I will take the eastern."

"Not alone. Vega and EDI will go with you."

"I appreciate your concern, but I am quite capable on my own, as you well know."

"I know, but there's something in this complex I don't much like the sound of, and my gut is ringing all the alarm bells. I want Vega and EDI with you. Please."

Samara paused, then commiserated. Shepard slapped Vega on the shoulder pad as he stepped past to join the asari. "Stay in communication. You see anything funny, you report immediately."

"Yes ma'am."

The group entered into the hall, Samara, EDI, and Vega turning east as the rest of them proceeded west. Moving slowly, they checked each door to make sure it was sealed, or cleared the room beyond if it was open. They reached the end of the corridor without incident, stepping into what looked like a dining area or a meeting hall of some kind. Broad windows displayed the beautiful night outside, framing an idyllic garden.

At the far end was another doorway, and so far nothing seemed out of place.

They were nearly halfway across the room when Liara hesitated. "Del, I…I do not like this. There is a _feeling_. I feel as if I am walking to the edge of a cliff."

"Yeah, I feel it too," Shepard admitted. "Just stay focused."

They edged forward a few more steps, weapons up and ready. Even Javik, normally unflappable, seemed tense and on edge.

Then a shadow shifted behind the open doorway, and as one the group froze, focusing on the motion.

Almost like a shy child entering a room, a tall figure edged around the corner of the door. For a moment, Shepard's brain refused to assimilate what it was she was seeing.

_Some kind of odd bipedal creature, with…__**branches**__ on its head?_

Then her mind sorted it out, and a greasy cold knot clenched her stomach. It was a reaper husk, but not a human one, nor a turian, nor one of those big brutish walking kroganesque tanks.

This was an asari.

Twisted and altered into a crude caricature, the husk was stretched to an impossible height. Its limbs were gangly, dry and knotted as the branches of an old tree. In contrast, breasts and stomach bulged outward in rough parody of some malnourished child in the old history vids of Third World countries. As human husks, its skin was ashen and gray, dry as desert sands and lined with glimmers of luminescent blue.

The face was skeletal, elongated. There were no lips, and teeth shone like well-polished stones in desiccated jaws. Above its head, the tenticular ridges that formed a normal asari's crest flared up and twisted, bent like the tines on a crown, or branches on a diseased tree.

Tatters of cloth scrap seemed to cling low on her waist and over one shoulder, but Shepard barely saw them. What she saw instead was the monster's jaw suddenly drop impossibly wide, as it lifted hands capped with talons that left no doubt in her mind as to what had rent through the armor of those poor commandos.

The shriek came- Riot's black lightning. Even EDI's reproduction did not give the real thing justice. It felt as if it ripped through her helmet, reached in through her ears, and shredded her spine. Del didn't believe in a biblical Hell, any more than she believed in a biblical Heaven…but that sound could only ever belong to the _Damned_.

Immediately she and her team opened fire, and an orb of blue barrier energy flared around the thing in response. It took two steps forward, then seemed to shimmer and vanish, only to reappear several feet closer to them, the sharp crack of a thunder-clap sounding simultaneously.

Shepard had seen others with biotic gifts do much the same thing. It wasn't disappearing and reappearing so much as a dark-energy fueled burst of incredible speed- speed at a level that actually created a small sonic boom.

The information was noticed and filed away instantly as she didn't have time to dwell on it. That single 'jump' had halved the distance between them, and from the way light was dancing over its skin, more biotics were in the stewing.

"_Cover!"_ Del ordered, and her team fell back again, moving to put both distance and barricades between them and the thing.

They'd only gone a few feet when the wave of biotics slammed into them. Thrown off their feet, they tumbled across the floor, poor Riot skidding and scrambling in a tangle of legs. Rolling to her side, Shepard fired back at the thing, only to wince as another crack punctuated it 'jumping' forward again, closing distance.

Liara recovered herself enough to send a rush of her own biotics toward the beast, stumbling it backward in a flare of blue light. Shepard pushed herself up, the clatter of limbs to her left punctuating Riot pulling herself upright on a nearby table.

Del, still firing, suddenly jolted and released her trigger, pulling her aim upward as Riot bunched and then leapt, tackling the husk.

For a moment, there was a wild thrashing tangle of long limbs. Dust rose as the young rachni managed to gouge into the beast's body, before she was forcefully torn away and flung against the wall.

"_Back up!"_ Del shouted, freeing a grenade from her belt just as the monster reoriented on them. Riot had done some damage- that grinning jaw was now hanging lower on one side, dislocated from its bed, and numerous gouges lined its arms and back. As Javik and Liara fell back, Del rolled the grenade toward the thing, backpedaling as well.

A hollow boom and a flash of dust punctuated the former asari's legs parting from her hips. As it collapsed, Shepard immediately changed direction, starting forward again.

Wounded but undaunted, the beast shrieked again, clawed hands digging into the metal floor as it began to drag its ungodly body across the ground, eyes fixed on Del. Taking a running step, Shepard's boot planted over one hand as it dug into the metal, pinning it and its claws. The other hand whipped in, fast as a snake, only to be deflected by Liara's biotics. Shepard jammed the muzzle of her rifle in between those gaping teeth, and she planted her finger firmly on the trigger.

Fire licked momentarily out of the beast's mouth before its throat and the back of its skull gave way. Shepard kept firing until all semblance of motion had ceased.

Silence fell. She yanked her rifle out of the dusty mess and took a step backward. A moment later, Liara was at Del's side, her trembling noticeable as she rested her hand on Shepard's arm, eyes fixed to the corpse at their feet.

"That was…she was _asari_."

"Whatever was asari about her died when she was turned into a husk," Del said. "All that was left was insult. We did her a favor."

As Liara crouched, Shepard turned toward Riot, who was staggering around the tables, weaving like one drunk. She seemed dazed but otherwise unharmed.

"You ok, kiddo?" Del asked. The young rachni gave her a feeble but positive gesture, and Del went over, lightly touching her head. "That was remarkably brave…but next time, warn me before you do that, ok?"

Riot seemed pleased with the praise, preening a little. Del shook her head, then looked around at Liara's call.

"Del!"

"What is it?"

The asari held a scrap of cloth in her hand, part of the tatters that had hung around the monster's hips and shoulder. "This is the remains of a skin suit," she said, showing it to Del. "The insignia there is of the Colorless Wind. This was one of the commandos."

Del turned the scrap in her fingers, jaw tightening. Atyana's team consisted of twenty or thirty soldiers- not counting the two they had already found dead. If even _half_ of them had turned into these-…

As if to answer her unspoken worry, that same ungodly shriek sounded again in the distance, and was then echoed and joined by more shrieks- a dozen or so voices promising damnation.


	67. Chapter 67

_{Captain, we picked up gunfire. You solid?}_ Vega's voice broke over the com only a breath after they heard the shrieks.

"We're all right, Vega, but we've got some extremely hostile asari husks in this compound. They have full biotics, including barriers, and can close in fast. Looks like the commandos at least may all have been turned. We need to regroup. Tell EDI to have Ash and the secondary team head down now. I have a feeling we're going to need every gun we can get."

_{Roger that. We haven't come across any hostiles but we may have seen at least one other asari run into a nearby room. We're heading that way now.}_

"We'll meet you there, Vega. Stay icy."

Pinpointing their position on her omni-tool, Del cleared her thermal, ratcheting a new one into place before she looked over at Liara.

"You ok?"

"It is…I will be fine," Liara replied, squaring her shoulders as she looked away from the mess on the ground. Shepard stepped closer, meeting her eyes through their face-plates and speaking low.

"I know it's rough, seeing one of your people like that. Believe me, I know. We're working to stop shit like this, Tianlán."

"I know, I just…I was unprepared for-…I will be all right, Del. I promise."

* * *

"M-Mother?"

The stammered word was filled with so many different emotions it was hard to separate them- surprise, longing, fear, and hope. Vega reluctantly lowered his gun as Samara strode toward the younger asari, the pistol held shakily in the girl's hands slipping and clattering to the ground.

Hearing boot steps behind him, Vega turned and nodded to Shepard and the others as they stepped into the corridor. "Looks like a bit of a bright spot," he said, nodding toward the reuniting pair.

"Falere, are you all right?" Samara asked as she embraced her trembling daughter.

"I am not injured. I-it has been horrible, Mother. We did not know what was going on…I am not sure I know even now."

"Where is Rila?"

"We got separated. A group of commandos arrived. They were trying to evacuate us. We got separated. Everything went to chaos…gunshots, and then those m-monsters. I-I remember the commandos saying something about setting off an explosive device. They were going to set it in the central garden and remote trigger it from orbit once the ship had lifted off. I have been trying to get there, but-"

"Can you show us to this central garden?" Del asked, approaching. Samara looked at her.

"Falere, this is Shepard, a very good friend of mine. She and her team are here to help."

"The commandos were not able to help," Falere said doubtfully. Shepard gave her a faint smile.

"Hopefully we'll fare a bit better, and find some of them alive. Can you show us the center garden?"

"Yes, I can get you there, if we do not run into any more of those abominations."

"We'll take care of the banshees. We'll have more boots on the ground in a few minutes. Our priority is to find any other survivors and it sounds like that garden is our best bet. I just need directions. You can head up to the shuttle, and-"

"I am no soldier, Shepard, but I am _not_ leaving my sister behind. I have my biotics, if nothing else. I am not leaving without her."

"She is capable enough to defend herself," Samara said to Shepard's hesitant frown.

"All right, stick close then."

"Thank you, Captain. It is this way."Falere sounded relieved, clearly having expected more of a fight on the subject. Truth be told, Shepard would rather have sent her back, but they had little time to waste on the argument, and it was clear Samara was going to take her daughter's side.

"Do you know if Atyana is still alive?" Liara asked Falere as they headed out.

"Aty-…she was the leader of the commandos, yes. I remember her," Falere replied. "The last I was aware, she was. She was with Rila and the others. She was the one talking about setting the bomb."

_{Captain, we're landing now.}_

"Ash, we're on our way to the center garden. EDI updated you on the asari husks?"

_{Affirmative. Sound like pretty nasty contenders.}_

"Indeed. Move with all caution, and keep your band open. We have a potential bomb, status unknown, in the center garden, and possibly other survivors. If I sound the retreat you drop everything and get your ass out of here, understood? Otherwise, we rendezvous in the garden."

_{Copy that.}_

"You called the monsters, 'banshees', Shepard," Samara said. "I am curious as to the meaning of this name."

"Oh. Old Earth mythology. Banshees were fairies or ghosts who would wail and scream. It was said their cry foretold someone's death."

"A disturbing, but fitting name, then," Liara said.

"Let's hope that the only deaths these bitches are foretelling are their own," Vega said with a nervous snort. Javik looked at him with dry disapproval, then shook his head and looked at Del.

"Captain, the logical course of action would be to return to the _Normandy_ and destroy this facility from orbit."

"Our people could still be alive here, Javik. I'm not abandoning anyone."

"The chances that they remain alive are slim, and the thin value of their lives in comparison-"

"Who are _you_ to determine the value of any life?" Falere demanded, suddenly rounding on the startled Prothean. "Of my _sister's_ life? You do _not_ get to judge such things!"

Samara caught hold of her daughter as Shepard stepped between the pair. Seeing Falere was in hand, she glared at Javik. "Your concerns are noted, Javik. We are going to save everyone we can. We leave no one behind, is that clear?"

"It is incredibly foolish, but yes, it is clear."

"_Noted_, Javik. Now school your goddamn tongue, and let's do this, all right?"

* * *

The thunderous rumble of gunfire punctuated flashes of blue and red as the marines laid down heavy fire. Nearing the garden, they had come across a pair of banshee and had been forced back into the main corridor. Counterpointing the roar of their weapons were the incredibly unnerving shrieks that made even Del's legs go weak, her gut cringe every time they were heard.

Given her recent and painful experiences with sound, Shepard couldn't help but wonder if the actual shrieks given off by these mutations were designed to do just that…subharmonically act on the subconscious fear sectors of the brain to unnerve potential prey or opposition. She was no coward, and tough as these bitches were, she could not imagine them actually instilling this kind of fear in her just by appearance and ability alone- she hadn't felt this kind of fear facing down full-blown Reapers on foot, after all.

If that were the case- if the shrieks were actually ways to instill mindless fear-then her pride in her companions and crew went up a thousand fold. Not a single damn one of them buckled or collapsed under it. Even Riot, the youngest and most unseasoned of them, held her ground and fought admirably.

One banshee fell and Shepard focused her sights on the remaining one. Her rifle fire raked over it, and it snarled at her, shivering with blue and then snapping forward several feet with an audible bang. Lunging back blindly, Del collided with someone and grabbed them, hauling them down as a clawed hand swung through the air, talons digging into the wall where both their heads had been.

Biotics- green this time, and therefore Javik's- licked over the banshee's head and momentarily lit her a halo of eldritch fire. She yanked back with the dark energy as if grabbed by the skull, stumbling.

Recovering, Del fired at the thing's feet, the shot shredding through them, stumbling it even more. It fell back onto the ground, lashing out almost frantically with its claws. Vega, who'd been closing in to shoot it in the head, caught the talons just over his knee. They sank through his pads like butter and he hollered a breath before everyone else fired at the banshee's face.

It danced a moment, spasming in its death throes, before it finally fell still. Shepard measured its ruined head for a second, and positive it wasn't going to move again, turned and ran over to Vega.

"It's alright, pads saved me from most of it. Cuts are shallow."

Del eyed the wounds critically and then nodded and looked at the others. "Anyone else hurt?"

Li had wrenched her shoulder a bit, and Riot had been further battered, but there were no serious wounds. Falere was notably shaken, and given the scuff on her head that was oozing purple, it had been she that had bumped into Del and had been knocked to the ground.

"You all right?" Del asked her, as the girl looked like she was about to faint. Nodding weakly, she took a deep breath.

"We-we're almost there. It's just through that door at the far end."

"All right, hang at the back. Vega, stay at the rear with her. We'll clear the room."

Del approached the garden door and took up flank, rifle ready. She nodded at EDI, who checked the door security and unlocked it.

As soon as it slid open, Shepard cautiously peered around the corner. Seeing no one, she nodded and she, Javik, Liara, and EDI swept in, weapons up.

The garden was large, with multi-level tiers dripping with vegetation. A few benches were scattered about, and a large fountain had dominance. Near the fountain, on a pedestal and in plain sight, was the commando's bomb.

A few scorches and marks from discharged weapons marred the walls and marble floor, but no actual soul could be immediately seen. Del moved in cautiously, gesturing at the others to fan out, EDI heading toward the bomb.

"The device is prepared, and tuned to a remote trigger," she said after examining it. "It will not detonate unless that trigger is activated."

"We need to find that trigger, and-"

"Well aren't you pretty?"

Half a dozen guns lifted and aimed at the asari standing in the far doorway. She was smiling, leaning on the door. The smile reminded Del far too much of Morinth, and she didn't lower her gun even when Falere rushed forward with a sob of relief.

"Rila! You are all right!"

She made it only a few feet before she was suddenly caught in a bubble of dark energy. She yelped in surprise, her feet leaving the floor as Samara strode forward. "No, Falere…something is wrong."

"Mother? Mother, put me down, it's Rila!"

"Yes, Mother, put her down," Rila said, her smile stretching as she strode sedately into the room. "Come give your dear little Rila a hug…it has been _so long_."

"Rila, stay there," Samara ordered, stepping back and bringing the helplessly dangling Falere with her. Shepard edged to one side, giving herself a clear line of fire. When Rila made no indication she was going to halt, Del narrowed her eyes.

"Stay right there, Rila," she said. "Don't move!"

Thankfully, she seemed to hesitate, looking at Shepard with a thin frown. "What is all this? I am unarmed, and I just want to see my family."

"You can in a moment. Just stay there. Where are Atyana and the rest of the commandos?"

Rila smiled, giving a flirtatious little bump of her hip. "I think you know. I think you've heard them singing."

Shepard scowled. Not exactly the answer she was looking for…and Rila hardly seemed the traumatized, frightened civilian. Canting her head a little, Shepard addressed Liara.

"Can you hold her?"

"I should be able to," Liara said, and her hand flared with blue. Just as the energy started to swell around Rila to hold her bound as Samara was holding Falere, the girl suddenly shimmered and vanished. There was a sharp crack, and suddenly Rila was immediately in front of Liara, snatching hold of the other asari with a snarl.

"Hey!" Del immediately hauled her rifle around, catching the safety with her thumb even as she jammed the butt between the two women, leveraging Rila back. Vega grabbed her from behind, hauling. Rila lost her grip, Liara stumbling into a sit on the fountain's edge.

Rila flashed with biotics, and tore free of Vega as he reeled backward. She lunged, and Shepard caught hold of her, whipping around and slamming her to the ground hard enough to bark her air out.

"Rila!" Falere cried out in alarm as Del planted her forearm over the asari's neck.

Coughing, trying to get her lungs to work, tears slipped down Rila's cheeks, her watery eyes seeming to clarify for a moment.

"I'm-…I'm sorry, I did not mean…"

Del could see the girl's face clearly now. Her skin was dry, her cheeks sunken and gaunt, her lips thin and cracked. She looked weary and frightened, and Del nodded once.

"I know you didn't, but I can't trust you."

"Let her go! Rila! Why did you do that?"

Samara had lowered Falere to the ground, but did not release her, the older asari now murmuring gently to the younger. Falere wailed after a moment, shaking her head. "No, it is not true! Let me go!"

Shepard ignored Falere, measuring Rila carefully before she removed her arm and hauled her up into a sit, propping her against the edge of the fountain. Drawing her pistol, she stayed crouching over the girl, and pointed the muzzle at the floor. The gun was not threatening but it was clear that Del could and _would_ put a bullet in her if Rila presented any kind of threat.

Samara finally released her daughter, and Falere ran up, kneeling beside the captain. "Rila, why would you-"

"You know why," Rila said softly, and Falere shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"No, it is not possible. I will not believe it."

"The commandos tried to protect me, but they could not even protect themselves. I can feel it, Falere. The blackness growing inside my head. It is changing me. Changing me into one of them."

"No! There must be a way to stop it, to reverse it! We can help you!"

"Cavalry is here," Vega said as Ash, Wilcher, Miranda, and Kasumi rushed into the garden. Seeing no immediate threat, Ashley approached the odd scene.

"Skipper?"

"Report."

"Took out two of those…_things_ on the way down here. We could hear more but never ran into them. You guys come in here from the west?"

"Yes. We took two out in the corridor."

"We came from the east. That means everything's clear except the southern corridor and wing…I think they're all clustered in there and heading this way."

"That bomb there is set and ready to go. We need to find the trigger and evac, then we can blow this place sky high."

"There is no need to find the trigger, Captain," Rila said, and Del looked at her again. "I have it. It is in my belt. Atyana gave it to me before-…Captain. I can feel them coming, and the black is growing thicker. I do not have long. Leave me here. The Sisters will be drawn to me and to the bomb. It will give you time to flee."

"Rila, no, that is _not_ an option," Falere said hotly. "I will not leave you here alone! We can help you!"

"I am beyond any help, 'Lere, and you know it," Rila told her. "I am barely restraining myself as it is, and I can feel my grip slipping away. It is all right, sweetheart. Go with Mother. You will be safe."

"I am not leaving without you!"

"You will never be without me."

"No, I am _not going_!"

"Captain, you must get her out of here," Rila said. Shepard searched her eyes a moment, then looked down and found the trigger tucked in the girl's belt. Drawing it free, she shipped her pistol and then took Rila's hand, wrapping her fingers around it and giving her a solemn nod.

Turning and rising all in one motion, Del swept an arm around Falere's waist, bodily hauling the girl up. Immediately Falere began to struggle, crying out and slamming one fist into Del's shoulder.

"No! _Rila!_"

"Everyone clear out!" Del ordered, as the shrieks began to sound again…much closer this time. "Back east and toward the main courtyard. Let's go! Double time it, people!"

As the others started to move, Samara knelt down on a knee beside Rila. "I am so proud of you," she said softly. "I love you, Rila. Go with the Goddess."

"Just take care of Falere," Rila told her, eyes shining with tears. "Poor little sweetheart is hopeless without someone to keep her in line."

Samara lightly touched her cheek, and if tears shone in her eyes for a moment, she quickly schooled them away. Then, the justicar rose and strode off after the others.

* * *

Rila's eyes fell closed, and she shifted almost painfully. The bones in her body felt as if they were being frozen, the muscles and tendons drawing as tight as steel and threatening to haul her joints apart. The dark swirling in her mind was weighing it down, but her entire life had been spent in mental discipline, teaching herself how not to be consumed in dark impulse and desire.

When she opened her eyes again, she could see the Sisters gathered at the far staircase, emerging from the shadows of the southern corridor. A few still wore the shredded tatters of their uniform skin suits. Fire burned in their eyes and they came down the steps like ghosts in procession.

Gripping hold of the edge of the fountain with one hand, Rila struggled to pull herself to her feet. The trigger clattered in her loose fingers and rattled against stone. With a desperate grab, she barely managed to save it before it dropped into the water. Gripping it tightly, she managed to gain her balance and then straighten, a panting groan of pain that escaped her sounding dangerously like another snarl.

_Just a few more moments. Just a few._

She turned to face her oncoming Sisters only to find they had finished closing the distance. The one in the lead was less than two feet away. Talons swept out, and Rila felt a hot, distant agony as she was impaled through the stomach, lifted off of her feet.

A hand gripped her chin, fingers long enough to nearly encircle her head. In the throbbing black of her mind, Rila could see the eyes of the beast holding her aloft. She could see the glimmering wet of the bare teeth, the stretching jaws. Her numb fingers clasped even tighter on the trigger, and her thumb sought out and pressed the power switch.

There was a sharp, high-pitched hum, and for a moment the creature holding her paused, distracted by the sound.

Rila's eyes fell on the torn shoulder of cloth still clinging to its frame, and the insignia there that was ripped in half. Her thumb quested, and found the detonation switch.

She smiled.

"Hello, Atyana," she said softly, and depressed the trigger. The darkness vanished as everything became light.

* * *

Falere begged and pleaded with them to let her go back as they hurried through the complex. She struggled with Del until Samara put her back in a biotic bubble, pulling her along with them. Sobs turned to threats, turned to more sobs, and at the sound of each one, Del felt her jaw tightening all the more.

As they reached the courtyard and the idling shuttles, the bomb finally detonated. Del spun around at the first deafening bang, watching as the roof of the monastery lit up and then blew outward in fire and smoke. The ground stirred underfoot like some giant monster rolling over in its sleep. Almost unconsciously, Del reached out and grabbed hold of Liara's hand.

Then, like a house of cards, the monastery folded inward. Walls and vaulted ceilings that had stood for millennia sagged and fell, burying anything within under tons of stone, steel, and wood.

When the ground settled again, only a few rooms nearest to them remained standing, and those were cracked and leaning badly. Peeling off her helmet, Del let it drop at her side.

"EDI, scan to make sure the structure is safe enough. Ash, if it'll hold up I want you to do a quick sweep of those few last rooms and make sure nothing is alive in them, understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

Samara had sat the weeping Falere down on the open step of the shuttle and had released her biotics. The older asari was oddly stone-faced, merely staring at her daughter as Falere cried, curled in grief.

While Samara was normally quite stoic to begin with, Del couldn't imagine even her putting on such a cold front when faced with the death of yet another daughter and the obvious pain of the remaining. It tickled at her gut, and warily she approached the two.

"We could have saved her," Falere said, looking up at Del with tear-worn eyes. "We could have tried."

"I'm so sorry, there was nothing we could have done," Shepard told her.

"We could have _tried_!" she repeated venomously.

"Shepard, I would like you to step back, please," Samara said calmly, turning Del's head. Without taking a single step away, Del narrowed her gaze, realizing the justicar had pulled her pistol.

"Why? What are you doing?"

"The Code is very strict on this matter, Shepard," Samara told her. "An Ardat-Yakshi may not live outside the confines of a monastery…and the monastery no longer exists."

Falere had gone still, staring at her mother with bleary disbelief.

"You cannot be serious!" Liara said with a gasp, having overheard. While she- like most asari-held Justicars in a near total reverence, her utter horror and disbelief refused to remain silent. "I cannot believe you would-"

"The Code is very clear," Samara repeated firmly. "I have dedicated my life to the Code. A Justicar cannot allow an Ardat-Yakshi to live outside the monastery. My path is clear."

"Mother…?" Falere's voice was small and frightened.

"I will not kill another of my daughters."

Del's entire body tensed as Samara suddenly lifted the pistol and placed it against her own temple, her gaze meeting Shepard's as serene and unwavering as her voice.

"Good-bye, my friend."


	68. Chapter 68

Whipping out, Shepard's hand caught Samara's wrist, pushing it upward. The pistol fired, the bullet hissing past less than an inch from the top of the asari's crest. Continuing her motion, Del ripped the pistol out of her grasp as Samara thrust her other hand forward. It was wreathed in blue.

Del slammed back into the side of the shuttle at the same moment that the Justicar froze, helpless- caught in the grip of not only Liara's biotics, but Javik's and Miranda's as well. An orb of marbled blue and green swirled around her like the pale ghost of some distant gaseous planet.

Regaining her feet, Del threw the pistol aside and glared at Samara. "I am _not_ losing another friend, _goddamnit!_"

"Shepard, it is the only way," Samara replied. She was as calm as always, and for once that very calm made Del want to punch her teeth in. "I am dedicated to the Code. If I live, I will be forced to shoot my own child. I will not do that."

Falere, wiping her cheeks, had gotten to her feet. "No, M-Mother, you do not have to. I have nowhere to go anyway. This monastery is my home…was _Rila's_ home. I made a vow too, that I would stay here and never leave. Part of it still stands. I will stay here."

Shepard looked at her, then back at Samara. "We'll leave provisions. Food and water. We'll make sure those rooms are properly shored up and stocked before we leave, and we'll make sure regular supply shipments still come here. All right?"

Samara was quiet a moment, before she slowly nodded. "Yes. If Falere stays here, then the Code is satisfied."

"All right. Let her go."

The biotics released, and Falere hurried in, hugging her mother tightly. Del saw the first signs of moisture under Samara's eyes as she embraced her only remaining child, and cleared her throat.

"Ok, we've got work to do. EDI, tell Garrus to start ferrying some supplies. I want to make sure these rooms aren't going to collapse, and have Joker scan to make sure there are no traces of life remaining here but us."

"Of course, Captain."

"Shepard, I will remain here with Falere," Samara said, releasing her daughter as she looked toward Del.

"You sure? We could really use you on the front."

"I have lost two of my children…I will remain with my third. Having a single asari, even a Justicar, will not turn the tide of your battle-however, having many _will_. I am not the only Justicar. We do not have grand numbers but neither are we few. I will contact my sisters and they will come to your aid."

"Are you sure? Tevos and the asari matriarchs have made it pretty clear they want nothing to do with helping us."

"Tevos and the matriarchs hold no power over us, Shepard. The Justicars follow only the Code. We will help regardless of the wishes of others. I have worked with you, Shepard. I have seen your morals. You are blunt and vehement, but you are just."

"Well, you know I won't turn down any offer of help, Samara. Thank you. We'll make sure you have everything you need, including communications. And I wish the two of you the best of luck."

* * *

The _Normandy's_ crew worked for twenty four hours, shuttling down provisions and shoring up the weak areas of the few monastery rooms left usable, to ensure that Samara and Falere were comfortable. Before they departed, Falere talked to Del privately, and thanked her for what she had done- both with Rila and with saving her mother. She seemed to have attained at least some level of peace with the loss of her sister, though like any such wound, it would take a long time to heal- if it ever truly did.

Shortly after they departed, heading back toward the Citadel, a mysteriously smiling Del sought out Ashley. She found her hiding in the lounge. As she stepped in, Ash snapped around with wide eyes, then let out a sigh of relief.

"Something wrong, Commander?" Shepard asked, amused.

"I thought you were Yoh," Williams said with a smirk. "He's sweet, but _incredibly_ persistent."

"So I heard. In fact, scuttlebutt tells me that the last time we were at the Citadel, he bought twelve turian liffa blooms and left them in your room?"

Ashley colored a bit. "Yeah…wasn't pretty. Chakwas was horribly amused though. She kept trying not to laugh as she's giving me hydrocortisone shots. She had to explain to Yoh that humans have a really _bad_ reaction to turian liffa. He spent the next four days apologizing. If there's anything worse than him gushing about how 'panoramic and rotund' my posterior is every four seconds, it's him _apologizing_."

Shepard laughed. Chuckling a little herself, Ash quickly sobered and arched a brow, folding her arms. "So, Captain…what evil are you plotting?"

"Me?" Del asked. "What makes you think I'm plotting anything evil?"

"Easy. You were smiling when you came in."

Shepard shrugged. "I'm not allowed to smile?"

"Oh, you're _allowed_, it's just that you usually _don_'t…unless you're about to break some teeth or blow up something _really_ big."

"That's not true."

"You're right, I forgot…the only _other_ time you smile is when it involves a certain asari doctor."

Shepard folded her arms and gave her a sarcastic look. Ash pointed.

"There. _That's_ more like how I expect to see you.

"Whatever, _wise ass_. C'mon. I need you up in the war room."

"The war room? Why?"

"Questioning the orders of your superior now, are we?"

"Never, ma'am, but technically since we're both Spectres-" A grin began to bloom on her face, and Del's scowl deepened.

"Pull _that_ card and see how fast you take a spacewalk without a suit, Ash. C'mon. War room. _Ma shang_."

"Fine, fine. But I was right, you _are_ planning something evil."

"Just move your 'panoramic posterior,' before I put a boot in it."

They headed for the lift, Ashley still not buying for a moment that Del didn't have something up her sleeve. The last few days since Miranda's nanite treatment had brought Shepard back closer to the Del that Ash remembered from Eden Prime, and she knew _that_ Del well enough to know something was brewing.

Miranda had once said she could take Del being angry, but Del being _cheerful_ was something that frightened her. Ash hadn't been there to hear that exchange, but had she been, she would have agreed with it wholeheartedly. A pissed off Del was par for the course…a smiling Del made one worry in the way psychopathic killers dressed up as clowns made one worry.

Del's smirk only grew the closer they got to the war room, and by the time they stepped inside, Ash was seriously beginning to get tense. Liara was at the far side of the room, regarding a console readout. She looked up as they passed, and the serious expression on her face did nothing to quell Ashley's discomfit.

"You really can't just tell me what all this is about, Skipper?" she asked as they walked into the QEC.

"Where would the fun in _that_ be?" Del replied, before accessing the controls. A moment later, Anderson's holographic form appeared.

"Ah, _there_ you are."

"Sorry, sir, she took a moment to round up. She was hiding from an amorous volus."

"You could have just called me on the com," Ashley said.

"Again, what fun would that be?" Del asked.

"Knock it off, you two. Williams. I'm going to need your undivided attention for the next half an hour. Do your duties permit?"

Taken aback by the serious tone in Anderson's voice, Ash straightened and very nearly saluted. "I'm technically off-duty, sir-"

"Good. Shepard?"

Del stepped in front of Ash and gripped the hem of her uniform tunic, tugging it straight. Ash blinked, then recoiled slightly as Del began fussing with her hair a little.

"What are you doing-?"

"_Hold still_, I'm making your sorry ass presentable."

"Presentable for _what_-?"

Del snapped her fingers with a glare, a clear order to shut up, then adjusted Ash's collar. That done, she stepped back and nodded to Anderson. Grim-faced, the Admiral glanced aside, and nodded to someone at his location- someone they couldn't see.

"One half hour," he said, then looked back at Del and Ash before stepping away from the projection area. Right before his form vanished, he smiled and gave Ash a wink, only confusing her all the more.

Then another figure appeared, stepping in from the side and coalescing in light, and Ash felt her knees go weak in shock.

"D-_David?_"

The young man smiled. "Well, it's Civilian Liaison Tepper now but…yeah. It's me."

"God, I didn't think that you-! I didn't dare even _hope_ that you were still…" She covered her mouth with her hands, tears of joy starting to well.

Silently, Del smiled again, and headed out of the QEC, leaving the two alone.

* * *

As Shepard walked back into the war room, Liara smiled softly and stepped in beside her, threading her arm through Del's and leaning over.

"However much you want to pretend, Del Shepard…you really are a hopeless romantic."

"Yeah, well… she'd all but buried him. She needs something to fight for the same as the rest of us."

"So it was all about practicality?"

"Of course."

"My love, you are many things. A terrible liar is among them."

"Hey, I lie _very_ well," Del said with a smirk. "Just…not to _you_."

"Good. Let us keep it that way."

* * *

"Where's she going in such a hurry?" Garrus asked Shepard as the two lingered just outside the _Normandy's_ airlock. Del looked up from her inventory manifest to see Miranda vanishing into the dock crowd.

"Oh, she's been keeping some close tabs on her sister. She said something about meeting an old Cerberus contact that might have some information regarding Oriana."

"Oh. Hope the kid's ok."

"Yeah, me too. She's a sweet girl."

She squinted back down at the list, filing through it…and then blinked as the data pad was plucked out of her hands. "Garrus!"

"Haley can do this. Or Westmoreland. Or a dozen _other_ crewmembers."

"There's no reason that I can't do this-"

"You have other plans."

"Garrus-"

"You have _other_ plans, Del."

"_What_ other plans?"

"That would be telling."

"Oh, I get it. This is payback for what I did to Ash. She put you up to this."

"Contrary to popular opinion, Captain…I _can_ and _do_ often think for myself. Ash had nothing to do with this. Come on. I have a car waiting."

"I have far too much work-"

He folded his arms and looked at her. "If I have to, I will have Liara hold you in a biotic field until I can get a pair of bind-cuffs on you, and I will carry you over my shoulder and dump you in that car. It'll be better for both of us if you just come quietly."

She snorted, scowling, and he flapped a mandible in a smirk. "C'mon. It'll be fun. And you'll get to shoot stuff."

She cocked an eyebrow, her expression smoothing out a little. He laughed.

"Yeah, I _thought_ that would get you. Car's this way, Captain. Ma shang, as you are so fond of saying. I promise it'll be painless. _Mostly._"

Her shoulders slumped and she flapped her hands a moment in exasperation. "All right, _fine_. But if I don't actually get to shoot stuff…I'm shooting me a turian."

"I just _knew_ you'd see the bright side."

* * *

The rented skycar was loaded up before they arrived. As Garrus guided the car out of the docks and toward the Presidium, Del twisted in her seat and began poking at the blanket-covered lumps in the back seat.

"Uh uh, hands off."

"Or what?"

"Or you'll ruin the surprise. Seriously, Del. You're the kind of kid that snuck a look at all their presents during that holiday you humans celebrate, aren't you? The one with the fat old man in red?"

"Christmas," Del told him, turning back around with a sigh. "And no. First Christmas I had wasn't until I moved in with Nan."

"Christmas, right. You're telling me you didn't sneak a peek at your gifts when you were living with Nan?"

"No," Del replied, then smiled a little. "Could never find them."

He laughed. "So you at least _looked_ for them, and I'm still right."

"Where are we _going_, anyway?"

He leaned forward a little, pointing. "You see that skybridge there, over the lake?"

Del leaned forward as well, peering out the screen. An enclosed skybridge joined part of the Presidium with the Wards terminals. "Yeah?"

"When I was working in C-Sec, I would sit on my lunch break and stare at that bridge. I used to wonder what the view would be like from way up there."

"_That's_ where we're going?"

"That's it."

"And you've never gone up there before? Why not?"

"There were a hundred different regulations telling me I couldn't."

"And they just…magically changed?"

"No. I just don't give a shit anymore."

She blinked at him, then grinned. "Good for you, Vakarian. Good for you."

* * *

There was wind on the top of the covered skybridge, stirred by the air recyclers of the Presidium and by the passage of traffic a few hundred yards distant. On a planet, being up this high would have produced significantly _more_ wind- enough perhaps to knock them off altogether and sent them plummeting to the lake three hundred feet below. Here, it was little more than a stiff breeze, and almost pleasant. It bore with it the smell of spices from the cafes and restaurants, fresh water from the lake, and the trees of the various planted parklands in the Presidium.

Del stood nearly at the edge, hands planted on her hips as she took a deep breath. _Garrus was right, the view up here is spectacular._

He was rummaging in the skycar, and she could hear the thunk of more than one item as he hauled them out and set them down. She didn't turn to look at him until his boot steps headed her way.

He had a case in one hand, and propped on his hip was his sniper rifle. She recognized the case instantly- it belonged to her, after all, and housed her Widow when it wasn't locked in the armory.

"Good view, big guns…Vakarian, if you're hitting on me Liara's gonna kick your ass."

He laughed, setting the case down next to her. "Nah, just figured you needed to blow off some steam. Figured we'd be hard to find up here, and we could settle a bet once and for all."

"Bet? What bet?"

"Who's the better shot with a sniper."

"I don't recall making that bet."

"Because we haven't yet. Hey, Del. I bet you that I'm a better shot with a sniper than you are."

"You are so fucking _dreaming_, Vakarian."

"If I'm dreaming, then you wouldn't mind proving it."

"Oh, I don't mind humiliating the fuck out of you. What's the stakes?"

"If I win, you have to stand up in front of the whole crew at the CIC and tell them that I am the King God of Snipers, and you're not worthy to lick my boots."

"Oh really? Fine, then, asshole…if _I_ win, then you have to streak through the Presidium square."

He coughed and stared at her. "I…_what_?"

"Streak. Naked turian, running through the Presidium square, as fresh as the day you were born."

"You _do_ realize that's not as bad as a human doing it, right? Our genitalia don't hang out where everyone can see."

"It's always about genitalia with you, isn't it?"

"Ha ha. Fine. If you win…a _laughable_ prospect…I will 'streak' the Presidium."

She stuck out her hand with a grin, and he shook it.

* * *

Garrus had brought a case of beers on ice as well, and Del cracked into her second one as her foot landed on the portable launch pedal. "Ready?"

"I'm _always_ ready."

She depressed the pedal, and the small disc spat out of the launch, arcing over the lake. With a soft pop, Garrus pulled the trigger on his sniper and the disc dissolved.

"That's twelve in a row," he said happily.

"Uh huh." Taking a swig of her beer, she set it aside and let him take over the pedal, shouldering her widow.

"Shepard, mind if I ask you a question? I need…some advice."

"I am a _well-spring_ of advice. Course it's not always _good_ advice…pull!"

He stepped on the pedal, and the disc sang away, only to evaporate.

"Twelve!" she said, and lowered the Widow. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, it's…kind of…"

He rubbed the back of his neck, and she squinted at him, picking up her beer again. "Garrus…is this about a girl?"

"…maybe."

She laughed and he stiffened, giving her a mock look of indignation. "What's so funny?"

"Krogan, I'm assuming? Those scars finally lured one in?"

"Ha ha. _No_."

"She's blind then?"

"C'mon, Shepard, I'm serious!"

"No you're not. If you were serious, you'd be asking Liara or Helen or Miranda for love advice. Not _me_."

"Why not you?"

"Think about that a second. You're asking _me."_

"Yes."

"_F_or _romantic advice_."

"Yes."

"That's what's fucking _hysterical_."

"I don't buy that. You may put on this badass front-and don't get me wrong, you _are_ fucking badass-…but you are also a big softie underneath, and you know it."

"I should shoot you right now for that."

"Won't change the truth. C'mon, Del. Please?"

She rolled an eye at him, then snorted and swallowed another mouthful of beer before nodding. "All right. Dare I ask who the lovely young lady in question is?"

"You can ask."

"But you won't tell me."

He shrugged helplessly and she sighed.

"What's the problem then? What do you want to know?"

"Well, it's not so much about _her_, it's…it's about her…_family_."

"Oh? They don't like you?"

"They seem to like me well enough," he replied as she took over the pedal, hauling up his rifle again.

"Then what's the problem?"

"They're very…_protective_ of her. Pull."

She hit the pedal and he eliminated the disc.

"Thirteen," he said.

"Does she feel the same way about you as you do about her?" Del asked as they swapped positions.

"Seems too, yeah."

"Pull." _Pow_. "Thirteen."

She lowered her rifle and looked at him seriously. "You planning on hurting her?"

"Of course not! But…I'm not entirely sure _they'll_ believe that. As I said…they're _very_ protective."

"Look, that may be the case, but they can't hide her away from the world. She needs to experience life and make her own choices. You just make sure that, if she chooses you, you treat her _right_. And be aware that if you fuck up with her…" She stepped toe to toe with him and glared intently into his eyes. "…her family may well _hunt you down_ and skin you alive with your own _fucking mandible_."

He swallowed nervously and she smiled brightly. "Your turn!"

"Y-yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

He moved into position and hauled up his rifle. Squatting, Del changed the distance projection on the launcher. "Gonna make this one hard, Vakarian. You ready?"

"Yeah, go for it. Pull!"

She slammed her foot down on the pedal and the disc shot out much faster than it had before. Narrowing his eye, Garrus pressed the trigger, and the disc popped into dust.

He lowered his rifle with a grin, and looked at her. "Fourteen."

"Not bad."

"Hmm. Back on subject, I just…I really do _care_ about her. Maybe it's just this war, and after it's over our feelings will fade or…we'll realize that they aren't what we thought they were, but…just for once, I feel like I have the chance to really do something _right_ in my life, something that makes me happier than I thought I could be. You know?"

"Sounds like love, fucker." She shouldered her Widow, setting her stance.

"Yeah, maybe," he said with a nervous little quaver. "I want to find out, anyway. Life is short, right? Gotta take hold of the bright parts in it whenever you get the chance."

"That's right," Del said. For a moment, her eye left the scope and she glanced at him, then looked back through the lens. "Pull!"

The disc whisked off, and Shepard's brown gaze fixed it in the scope's crosshairs. Her finger tightened on the trigger. Just a hairsbreadth from actually firing, she moved the hairs ever so slightly to the left, off of the retreating disc.

She fired. In the distance, the disc continued on its path unharmed, vanishing down toward the lake.

Garrus yelled in surprise, then whooped, thrusting his fists into the air.

"Fuck," she said with a grunt, lowering the Widow.

"You _missed_?" He whooped again, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling at the top of his lungs. "_She missed_! _Del Shepard missed! I am Garrus Vakarian and __**this**__ is now my favorite spot on the Citadel!"_

As he whooped and hollered, Del shook her head and gave him an affectionate little smile. _You're right, big guy,_ she thought. _Hold on to it._


	69. Chapter 69

The skycar lowered to a parking stall on the Presidium, and Del glanced out the window with a frown. "What are we doing now?"

"Hotel," he said, pointing out her side window, then taking her hand and pressing a key fob into it. "Room 19."

"You _are_ hitting on me," she said with a smirk, and he grinned.

"No offense, Del, but I like keeping my hide intact. Go on, and I don't want to see you back on the ship before 0700 tomorrow morning."

"Garrus, I have far too much work to do-"

"Work that _I_ can handle. You made me your XO for a reason, Shepard. Don't worry, if anything big needs shooting I'll call you. Go on. Have fun. Remember you're alive for a while, and focus on writing that little speech you get to give in the CIC about how I out-sniped you."

She gave him a glare, then shook her head and climbed out of the skycar. As he lifted away, she looked at the fob in her hand. "Room 19…"

* * *

The hotel was small but very high end. Shepard could never have afforded it on her Alliance salary. As she crossed the tastefully decorated lobby, more than one person glanced around at her. Not one to generally feel self-conscious, the attention put Del on edge. After Traynor's death, the C-Sec investigation seemed to indicate the batarian assassin was working alone, but how many others could also be lurking out there, waiting to take their shot?

She reached the lift without incident, and the hall was empty when she emerged. Finding 19, she paused outside a moment, before flashing her fob at the reader.

The door beeped and slid open.

The suite was large, dimly lit. As she stepped inside, she smiled a little. _Candlelight Mist_ was playing, one of her favorite Flatwood songs, and she could smell-

"Goddamn, if that's fried chicken I'm going to fucking marry you, Tianlán."

"I believe you have already made me that promise, Shepard."

As Del stepped down into the main area, Liara appeared. She was wearing a more casual outfit, a dress that nearly fell to the floor. In her hands she held a box. Behind her, the table had been laid out, illuminated by candles.

"So I did," Shepard said with a smile as she reached the asari's side, winding one arm around her waist and kissing her lightly. "You look spectacular. What's the occasion?"

"Everything has been so chaotic since you left Earth, I am not surprised you did not remember."

"Remember what?" Del asked as Liara stepped over and set the box on the table. Inside she was cringing, mentally filing through her thoughts to figure out if she'd missed some important anniversary.

"Your birthday," Liara said as she straightened, stepping close again. "It is customary for humans to celebrate the day of their birth, is it not?"

"Oh! Oh, it's…not _really_ my birthday," Del said with a bashful grin. "I have no way of knowing the actual day I was born, the Alliance just plugged in a close guess. I don't even remember it half the time."

"Well, then we are celebrating the 'close guess' of your actual birthday," Liara said.

"Hey, I'll take it." Del wound her arms around the asari's waist. "Any excuse to be alone with you is a good one."

She leaned in to kiss her, only to halt as Liara put a finger to her lips, prompting Del to pout.

"Not yet," the asari said kindly. "You have no idea how difficult it was to get real Earth chicken, let alone the peppers. I called in a lot of favors for this meal, and we are going to eat it before it gets cold."

"Meanie."

Liara smiled, then drew back. "Come on. Dinner first."

Del rubbed the back of her neck, then darted around past Liara, catching hold of her chair and drawing it out for her. Liara smiled at her, lifting an eyebrow as she sat. "The uncouth Captain Shepard _does_ have some manners."

"I'll remind you of that later when I start picking my teeth," Del told her, planting a kiss on the top of her crest before going to her own seat.

Shepard couldn't remember the last time she'd had real fried chicken with jalapenos. That Liara had managed to find the ingredients at all was astonishing, even as the Shadow Broker. Since the initial Reaper attack, pretty much all trade lines from the planet had been cut off, and the same held true for most of the human colonies.

Li had never had chicken or jalapenos before, but given her taste for pris para, the mild spice of the peppers was nothing.

They talked as they ate, avoiding mention of the war or lost friends, focusing instead on lighter and happier things. As they finished, the rotation of music switched back to Charles Flatwood, and the familiar _Blind Hope_ began to play. Wiping her lips with a napkin, Del rose and held her hand out to Liara. As the asari looked up at her, she cocked a grin.

"Don't tell me you can't dance, T'Soni."

Liara took the hand, letting Del draw her up to her feet. Holding her close as they danced, for a moment all time seemed to melt away, and they were back in Shepard's room on the original _Normandy_, just really finding each other for the first time.

As the song ended, Del ducked her head a little, resting her forehead against Liara's and making no move to release her.

"I love you, Tianlán."

Liara's eyes were soft as she lifted a hand, resting it on Del's cheek a moment. "I love you too, Del," she replied. Kissing her briefly, she drew back a pace, her sky blue eyes searching over Shepard's features. "You still look tired."

"There's still a war going on," Del replied softly. "I'm ok, Li. Really. I feel a lot better."

"No more headaches?"

"Nothing like I was having. And you know most of the nightmares have gone away."

Liara nodded, hugging her close and resting her head on Del's shoulder as the human woman embraced her. After a moment, she drew back, and turned to the box still resting on the table. "I have something to show you."

"Oh?"

They walked over to the small sofa, and sat down. Liara regarded the box in her hands before setting it on the low table nearby. "I have been working on this for some time…shortly after coming back aboard the _Normandy_. This is the prototype, but in a few short days a thousand more will be replicated and sent to worlds in all corners of the galaxy."

"What is it?"

"It is a small data archive, a warning- similar to the Prothean beacons." She touched the box and it opened, a hologram of a flower projecting over it. In moments the flower was replaced by schematics, then scrolling information. "It describes our cultures, our technologies, and explains about the Citadel and the Reapers. It is…it is a failsafe, in case we do not succeed. Perhaps then the next cycle will have more of a chance."

Shepard leaned forward, scrutinizing it in silence a moment before looking at Liara. "We're not going to fail."

"I know that you will fight to your final breath, Shepard." Liara met her eyes. "And I know that if anyone can save us, it is you."

Del sat back a little, wiping a hand over her face. "If we win this, it won't be because of _me_, Liara. It'll be because of people like you, and Tali, and Garrus, and Wrex. I'm not fighting this alone."

"You are not, that is true…but we could not do this without you. You have a fire that compels people to follow you. You have a compassion that bids them to listen to you, and a determination that does not falter. You are a rallying point, a beacon, and an inspiration. If we win this war, it _will_ be because of you."

Del lowered her eyes, brooding, and Liara took her hand briefly, lifting it before kissing the back lightly. "You are what Paul always dreamed you would be, Shepard. A hero."

When Del remained silent, Liara released her hand and leaned forward, touching a command on the cube. The hologram shifted again, and Shepard sat up a little. "Is that-"

"You," Liara told her. "Yes. Your entry is the one that I have not yet finished. If any future civilizations do find this, I want them to know about our greatest hero and best hope. How you could not be broken. How you united the galaxy, and gave us our best chance at survival. I was hoping for your direct input."

"I…I don't know, Li. I don't know if I'm comfortable with this. I'm just a soldier."

"Then I shall finish your entry." Liara leaned forward again and touched a command, directing the box to record. "Captain Del Shepard grew from humble and even tragic beginnings to become a champion- to her friends, to her species, to all sentient life across the galaxy. She did what few ever could hope to, and stood in the face of incredible adversity to defend all she held dear. Any chance that we had, it was given to us by this woman alone. To any who may be listening to this, the chance that we are giving to you now is because of her. She spoke for those without a voice, she helped those that had no reason to deserve it, and she stood, always, for the Fallen. She was stalwart, brave, compassionate…and it was an honor to know her and call her my friend."

Del's jaw tensed and she rose, walking over to the floor to ceiling windows that lined the far end of the suite. Beyond them, the cheerful false sunlight of the station played over the blue of the lake, the greens of the parks.

Liara saved the entry and switched the small beacon off, rising herself. Walking over to Del, she slid her arms around her waist from behind and held her close. Slowly, Del's arms rested around hers, and she lowered her head, closing her eyes.

"Li, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If something happens to me…if this war-…if we _can't_ stop it and something happens to me, I want you to…"

"Shepard?"

Del turned and looked at her, taking her shoulders. "Li, promise me. It could be centuries before the Reapers finish this cycle. You could still have _centuries_. I don't want you to be alone. If I'm gone, I don't want you to go through all that alone. You promise me that you'll find someone else. Someone who makes you happy."

Liara straightened, resolute. "You listen to me, Del Shepard," she said. "Whatever this war holds for _any_ of us, one fact at least will remain. Wherever it is that you go, I will follow."

"Li-"

"If this war is lost, and if _you_ are lost, I am not going to spend my remaining days running and hiding in futility. I will fight, as you will, to my dying breath- and I _will_ follow you."

Del scowled. "And what if the war is _won_, Tianlán? What if the war is won but _I_ am lost? You cannot throw your life away! This galaxy will need you. Your _people_ will need you."

"If that happens I…I will have to find some way to keep on, to keep hoping. But _this_, Del…what we have, this love we feel- I will not have this again. I will not find this again. Call me young and naïve if you wish, but I know this in my heart. If you were gone, part of me would be gone with you…and I would carry a part of you with me, always. That is not so easily pushed aside."

"I'm not asking you to push it aside, I just…it's not _right_, Liara. You're young, you have centuries of life left. You can't live them alone, without love. It's just not right!"

"And should the reverse happen? Should this war be won and _I_ am the one who has gone? You are still young as well, as humans measure such things. May I ask the same of you, that you continue on, find another to share your heart with? Someone who makes you happy?"

Del grit her teeth, looking down. She knew perfectly well what would happen if Liara died in this war. She'd find numbness at the bottom of a bottle, find some cold dark hole to crawl into, and sit with her misery for the rest of her life- whether that life ended from old age, or at the pull of a trigger.

She sighed, shaking her head a moment and then looked at the asari. "Well, I guess we know the answer to this problem, then."

"What?"

"Neither of us is allowed to die. It's just too complicated."

Liara looked at her, then smiled. Chuckling softly, she wound her arms around Shepard's neck, holding her close. "I think that is the best plan I have heard in ages. I promise not to leave you, Del…if you promise not to leave _me_."

They both knew that was an impossible promise to keep. Neither of them had any say over this, any clairvoyance as to what the future might hold. It was not in their hands to dictate who lived and who died. If Del had that power, then good men and women- good _friends_- would still be alive.

Holding her tight, Del buried her face in Liara's neck and breathed her scent a moment, before she nodded.

"I promise."

* * *

Del had just dozed off, Liara cradled against her, when her omni-tool suddenly chirped. Jolting slightly in surprise, she opened her eyes as Liara's hand tightened on her shoulder.

"What is it?"

The tool chirped again, and Del sighed. "Someone's calling me."

"Garrus said he would not disturb us until morning, unless it was an emergency."

Shifting into a sit, Del squinted at the ID. "It's not Garrus," she said, then answered the call, audio only. "This is Shepard."

"_Captain, this is Councilor Tevos. I need to see you in my office, as quickly as possible."_

Del felt a flash of irritation. She hated feeling like she was being summoned like a peon, especially by people who refused to listen to her or lend their help. On the other hand, refusing her wasn't going to get them any closer to getting that help, and this war was far too important for pride to get in the way.

"We'll be right there, Tevos. Give us ten minutes."

"_Just you please, Captain. This is a matter of extreme delicacy and confidentiality."_

Her scowl deepened and she sighed, glancing at Liara before shaking her head. "Understood. Ten minutes."

She powered off her omni-tool and groaned. Liara wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lightly kissing the side of her neck. "I will clean up here and see you back on the _Normandy_. I have a feeling that whatever she needs to discuss with you, it will require our imminent departure."

Del nodded weakly, then leaned in and kissed her briefly. "Sorry."

"Duty calls," Liara said softly, watching sadly as Del turned away and began to dress.

* * *

Shepard stepped off the lift in the Council tower to a bustle of activity. People were rushing everywhere…not running in a flat out panic, but definitely moving with swift purpose. Moving through the tides of hurrying forms, Del reached Tevos's office. An asari guard nodded to her and opened the door, ushering her in.

Half a dozen more asari were within, scanning data pads or making phone calls. Tevos was talking with one of them, but the moment she saw Shepard she abandoned her companion and headed her way. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Captain. Please, we need to speak out on the veranda."

Stepping outside, Tevos waited for Del to walk past her, then closed the door and sealed it. "Forgive me, Captain. What I am about to tell you could result in both our deaths if it were to be overheard."

"What is it? What's going on?"

"We have received word from our outer defense network. The Reapers have fully invaded our space and are encroaching on Thessia. They will be entering her atmosphere in less than two hours."

Del stiffened. "You're evacuating?"

"We are doing what we can, but communications are already disrupted. Thessia will be taken by surprise, Shepard…just as Earth was."

_I told you! I fucking __**told you**__!_ Del wanted to shout that out loud, scream it in Tevos's face- but it would help no one at this point. Instead she only cleared her throat.

"Why is this classified?"

"The attack itself is not, though we are not fully broadcasting it yet on the Citadel. We are alerting our fleets, as much as we can with disrupted communications, but we must avoid a full panic on the station itself. The invasion is not entirely why I asked you to come. I…after the way my people have behaved, Shepard, the last thing I would expect of you is your aid to Thessia."

"Then why _did_ you ask me here?"

"Captain, we are aware of your Crucible project. We know that you are dedicating men and resources to its completion. There…there is a Prothean artifact on Thessia that may just aid your cause, but if the Reapers destroy it-"

Del went red. "There is a _Prothean artifact_ on Thessia? How long have you known about this?"

"Personally, I have known for quite some time. My people have known about it for centuries, Captain. Its discovery dates back to the time of Aswa V'Dess. Some of the Matriarchs even believe that it is what gave Aswa an advantage over the rest of the asari, and what lead her to be so successful in her campaigns."

Del made a furious gesture of pure frustration. "It is against _every_ Council sanction to _hide_ Prothean technology! Your people _made_ those sanctions, and here you are hoarding it for yourselves for all this time?"

"Captain, I am trying to _help_ you. It was not my doing or my order to hide this from anyone…this goes above even my head and predates my own birth. Just by informing you of it I could be shot without trial. I am trying to help you _and_ my people. If you are able to retrieve that artifact you may be able to complete your Crucible project. At the very least it may give your forces an edge, vital technology or insight that may turn the tide of this war. If you can use it to defeat the Reapers then my people will be saved as well. There is no benefit to us to continue to hide this artifact. By the time any ship reaches Thessia the Reapers will already have landed and begun their extermination. You are the only one who can get past their lines and retrieve it before it is destroyed."

Shepard looked out over the view, leaning on the veranda railing, her hands tightening on it until her knuckles turned white.

"Where is the artifact located?"

"The southern capital city of Sevaa. It is hidden in the Temple of Athame. The southern capital will be a primary target of the Reaper attacks- you will not have much time to retrieve it, if it is even possible."

"Can you tell me anything else about this artifact?"

"Unfortunately, no. I have given you all the information I am privy to. I do not even know its appearance, only that it is well hidden."

"So this thing could be the size of a starship for all you know."

"Yes, it could be…or as tiny as a needle. I have no way of knowing."

"All right. I will get the _Normandy_ to Thessia as fast as I can push her FTL. In the meantime you need to order your fleets to evacuate fringe asari colonies and fall back. Keep them away from Thessia if at all possible."

"_Away_? But my people-"

"You throw your fleets at the Reapers and all you will accomplish is more asari dead. Save the ones you can, fall back to a defensive position, join the other species' fleets. If this artifact is what you hope it is, we'll finish the Crucible in a few days and hit these fuckers where they hurt, save _all_ our worlds. If it's not, this war is lost anyway. Civilian transports and ships will save who they can, but you need to pull your _military_ vessels back and _hold_ them."

Tevos had stiffened, her lips thin. She knew as well as Del did that this was a horrible situation, but that it was also a situation of the asari's own making. It was their own pride and reluctance to join with the other species that had lead them to this…and unfortunately, those on Thessia would be paying the price.

Finally, she nodded. "I will do my best, Captain. I will have them transmit the message to all military vessels to fall back to the edges of our borders, have them evacuate the colonies instead. Please. Get that artifact safely. Save us if you can."

Del didn't respond, turning on her heel and striding back into the office, slapping on her omni-tool as she did and pinging the ship.

"Garrus, get the _Normandy_ crew back on board and power her up for immediate launch, priority one. I want to be pulling out of dock the second my boot leather is on deck. Shepard out."


	70. Chapter 70

Striding in the helmside airlock, Del was met by both Garrus and Liara, EDI looking over at her from where she stood near Joker.

"Are we ready to launch?" she asked.

"Everyone is aboard except Miranda," Garrus replied. "She sent a message in answer to my request, said she can't leave right now and to go on without her."

"She could be in some trouble," Liara said.

"If she is, we're just going to have to trust her to get out of it on her own. We can't dally," Del replied. "Joker, seal us up and get us in the sky."

She headed for the CIC, the turian and the asari following after her. "What's going on, Shepard?" Garrus asked. "What's happening."

Del held up her hand and did not reply. Reaching the galaxy map, she stepped up on the promontory, accessing her console and opening a ship-wide comm.

"This is Captain Del Shepard. May I have your attention please?"

Those gathered in the CIC hushed and turned to look at her. Shepard could feel the weight of Liara's eyes the most.

"We have just received word that Reaper forces have breached asari outer defenses and are congregating on Thessia. They are expected to land and begin their attack in just about ninety minutes. All attempts at communicating with the asari home world have been disrupted. They are unaware of the encroaching fleet and will have no warning or preparation for their arrival."

"_Goddess…_" Liara's soft gasp broke the silence. Shepard felt her shoulders tighten at the sound of it, but did not look at her. Just knowing the attack was about to happen was bad enough. What Del was about to say would hit her far worse.

"We are being dispatched to Thessia on a classified mission. I am authorized to share details only with the ground team that will accompany me dirtside. I can tell you this: we are not going to evacuate the planet or engage the Reaper forces. We have a single objective, and when that objective is met, we will be leaving asari space. Joker, input a course for Thessia and keep us at full FTL as necessary. We are on alert one from the moment we enter the hostile zone, so I will require battle stations. That is all. To your duties."

A soft rumble of voices punctuated the crew turning back to their stations. As Shepard stepped off the promontory, Liara hurried over. The faint sheen of unshed tears in her eyes cut Del to the quick, and she tightened her hold on her composure.

"Shepard, surely after the mission is finished we can join the evacuation efforts-"

"There will be no evacuation efforts, Liara."

The asari froze. "Wh-_what_?"

"Some civilian ships may succeed in ferrying refugees off world, but all military vessels will be concentrating on evacuating the outer asari colonies and falling back. There will be no official large-scale evacuation attempts of Thessia, and the fleets will not engage the Reaper forces."

"You cannot be serious! Del, there are _four billion_ asari on the home world! More than half of the entire population of my people! The fleets can hold the Reaper forces off and cover evacuation efforts-"

She had followed Del as she headed into the conference room, and as the door shut behind them, Shepard turned and grabbed hold of her shoulders. "Liara, listen to me," she said. "It's shit, I _know_ it's shit…but the _only_ thing that will happen if the asari fleets engage the Reapers and try to evacuate is that the asari fleets will be decimated-"

"We are talking about my _people_-!"

"You think I don't _know_ that?" Del asked. "Do you think I'm not feeling the weight of every single one of those lives? If the fleets go in, they're _dead_. They can't hold the Reapers on their own, and thanks to Tevos and the Matriarchs, there isn't a damned species out there that is able or even willing to come to their rescue! They stand up at Thessia and they'll be slaughtered. _Period_. You want to save as many people as you can? Then the fleets hold back, we obtain our mission objective, we get the goddamn Crucible done and we hit those fuckers so hard their manufacturers feel it. _That_ is how we save your people's lives."

Liara's expression was one of heart-broken fury, her hands clenched at her sides as the tears spilled over her lashes, tracing darker lines of blue down her cheeks. "_Four billion asari_, Del," she said raggedly. "Children. _Babies_. My home…Goddess, _Navis_ is down there!"

Del's brows trembled a little, her own voice soft. "Yeah. I know."

"What is worth that? What is this mission that is more important than those lives?"

"Something that Tevos put her life on the line to even tell me," Shepard said.

"Let me be on the ground team."

"Liara, as hard as the idea of it is, the _reality_ is going to be much worse. I can't put you through-"

"_You_ are not putting me through it, _I_ am. Let me do at least _something_ to try and help Thessia. Let me be on the ground team."

Del narrowed her eyes, then bent and kissed Liara's damp cheek, before brushing her fingers over them. "Ok," she said, then stepped back a pace, opening the com. "Williams, Javik, Tali, Garrus- report to the conference room for a confidential briefing."

As she looked back at the asari, she could see Liara trying to regain her composure, doing her best to push her fears into the back of her mind.

_I hope this is the right call, letting her come_, she thought. _I really hope she's up for it._

* * *

Shepard stood at the head of the table, watching silently as the others filed in. Liara, seated to her left, had banished all signs of tears, though she was clearly still troubled. Del wanted nothing more than to comfort her, find some way to tell her that everything would be all right, but of course she was unable to.

As soon as the group was settled, the door sealed, Del spoke.

"What I am telling you right now is classified information. In a few days it'll probably be a moot point but for now, I must adhere to that classification. You may not discuss this meeting or the mission with anyone without my direct authorization, is that clear?"

An affirmative murmur moved around the room, and Del nodded her satisfaction. "All right. I have just learned that there is a Prothean artifact secreted in Thessia's southern capital of Sevaa. It is concealed somewhere within the Temple of Athame. Councilor Tevos's information was limited but she is optimistic that this artifact will help us to finish the Crucible project and put an end to this war- but first we must retrieve it."

Liara had gone pale ,the others looking surprised. All except Javik.

"Captain," he said. "I am confused. Why is this information classified?"

"It is against all Council laws and sanctions to hide Prothean artifacts," Del told him. "Other such items discovered by various species have contributed to significant advances not only in technology but in medicine. When Earth discovered one such artifact- one of your beacons- what we learned from it moved our entire civilization forward two hundred years."

"To keep it to themselves creates an extremely unfair advantage for the asari…and at the very least makes their government hypocrites, since they're the ones that wrote the laws and sanctions to begin with," Ashley said.

"I see."

"By the time we arrive on Thessia the Reaper forces will have been there nearly a full solar day. It's going to be bad, ladies and gentleman, but our duty is _not_ to engage the enemy. We must find the Temple, locate the artifact, and retrieve it safely if at all possible. That is our objective. Everyone here save Garrus will be on the ground team- Garrus, you will remain here and in charge of the _Normandy_ until we return. As for the artifact itself, we don't know what it looks like, how big it is, or where in the Temple it is even hidden. Liara, I'm going to rely on you to find any information you can through your Broker network. The faster we can go in and get it, the better off we'll be. Any questions?"

"I have a question," Garrus said, and Del looked at him with a nod. "I know you said we are not there for evacuation purposes, or to engage hostiles, but…well, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that Deirdre Navis is down on Thessia-"

"I am aware and that topic has already been brought up," Del told him. "If there are no other questions this meeting is concluded."

"But you didn't answer-" Garrus began, only to halt at Del's smoldering glare.

"This meeting is _concluded_," she said again. "Be ready to hit dirt the moment we arrive. You are dismissed."

* * *

Liara was in her room, and had been working for several hours on trying to find any more information on the Prothean artifact supposedly hidden in the Temple. Given that all communications to Thessia were down, she was unable to reach those of her agents who were there, nor could she link into the records and mainframes of the matriarchs. Even if communications were fine, asari matriarchs were not stupid, especially when they had done something that risked war with the entire rest of the galaxy. Working at optimum, she doubted she'd be able to uncover the information within a timeframe of several days under ideal conditions, let alone in the few hours they had.

Hearing her door open and knowing who it was without looking up, she said, "I have not yet uncovered the exact nature and location of the artifact, Shepard. I doubt I will have any further information for you by the time we reach Thessia, but I am trying my best."

"I know you are," Del said.

"Then why are you here?"

"I need to know where Navis is."

Liara paused in her work, her scowl of irritation smoothing out as she looked up at her. "I…I thought we were going to be unable to evacuate-"

"I know. And every bit of the Alliance soldier in me is telling me that it's an unnecessary risk, but damn it…this is Dees, and her baby. A baby that is the only part of Syd that is left. If there's a way to get them out of there I have to chance it…even if I have to go alone. But I need you to find out where she is first…or at least where she was last known to be."

"I will not even have to look in the network for that information," Liara said, her relief obvious in her voice. "She is at the T'Soni complex just outside of Sevaa."

Del lifted her brows. "She's at your place? Why is she there and not with her family?"

"The majority of the Navis family are scattered on colony worlds around the galaxy," Liara told her. "Her elder sister maintains their properties on Thessia, but she and Dees…are not on the best of terms. Valeea did not take the news that Dees chose to bear Sydney's daughter well. She considers humans barbaric, primitive, and brutal- a bit of hypocrisy considering her bondmate is a krogan. Navis contacted me shortly after she returned home and asked if she could stay at the T'Soni complex. It has been standing empty save for a few staff since my mother passed away and Osco left. I saw no reason not to accommodate her."

"That's good then," Del said. "If she's just outside of Sevaa it makes it a lot easier to reach her. We can't risk more than one shuttle going down, but after we've secured the artifact we can try to go and retrieve her as well."

Liara stood up, going over and hugging Del tightly. "Thank the Goddess! Yes, that should work…it will only take minutes to travel from the Temple to the complex via shuttle."

"We'll _try_, Li," Shepard said. "We'll do our best, but this is all subject to what's going on groundside when we arrive. It may be too hostile to use the shuttle…the complex may already be gone…a _thousand_ things could happen to stop us- but we'll try. I can't leave Dees behind."

* * *

Three hours before they reached Thessia, Del was already in the CIC, scrutinizing the galaxy map as if it held the answers to all of salvation. The _Normandy_ had long since entered asari space, and they passed in a close enough range to several colonies to see the clustered ships working to evacuate them.

Not all the ships were asari, either- civilian volus and turian vessels were spotted here and there, doing as much as they were able to ferry inhabitants to relative safety.

They were now in scanning range of Thessia itself, and the image on the galaxy map was not promising. At least twelve Sovereign-class Reapers were either in orbit or on the surface, and the numbers that were scanning alongside the holographic image showed the brunt of the attack.

"Sevaa is under heavy fire," she said to Liara and Westmoreland, both of whom stood at Traynor's old position. Bethany nodded, reading her own numbers.

"Being one of the capitals, it was one of the first to come under attack," she said. "Each of the largest major metropolitan areas was hit simultaneously…just as they did on Earth."

"Sevaa, Koristhira, Nevu, Lake Athenera…"

"Casualties are egregious," Liara said with a schooled hush. "I cannot give accurate numbers but my estimates…at least ten million gone in the first hour. All of Nevu is on fire..."

"Are we able to get any communications through?" Del asked.

"Negative," Bethany replied. "However we are able to pick up some spotty radio and old E-Band transmissions originating from the surface. No real useful information, and several seem to refer to evacuating civilians out of the cities and into the countryside. All attempts to respond to them are getting lost in the Reaper's jamming blanket."

Del knew, even without looking at her readouts, that Liara was regularly trying to contact her family complex. So far she had been unsuccessful, but the fact that she was even trying gave Del some small amount of hope- it meant she had good reason to believe that the complex was still standing.

As they neared Thessia's orbit, the tense hush all over the ship increased. Though the stealth systems were fully engaged, it was as if the crew thought speaking too loudly would, of itself, give their position away.

Del and the others on the ground team suited up for a hard assault, loading on to the shuttle. As Del swung aboard, she slapped the control to close the door, and leaned into the cockpit. "It's going to be hairy, Cortez. Be ready for anything."

"I could pilot this thing through a tornado, don't worry about me," he said. "I'm more worried about you lot. You keep your asses safe down there."

The shuttle slipped out of the docking bay as the _Normandy_ retreated to a safer locale. The ride grew choppier as they entered the atmosphere, a strong wind blowing off the ocean as they swung over the harbor, coming in low toward the city to avoid being targeted by the Reaper ships groundside.

As they reached the bay, Cortez called back. "Captain! Got a bit of a problem."

"What is it?" she asked, sticking her head back in the cockpit.

"Forces are extremely heavy between us and the Temple. We've got a dozen gunships and those dragon things in a pitched battle over most of the area. If I try and go above them that Reaper is going to take us out for sure. I can't risk it."

"Looks like a barricade near that bridge over there. Set us down and we'll go in on foot."

The shuttle lowered into a shady spot, and they quickly offloaded. Liara immediately stiffened as she emerged and looked out over the city, and Del gripped her arm tight a moment. "Here and now, Li," she reminded her softly. "Minds on recreation."

She didn't blame the asari for her reaction. It was Earth all over again. Only gouged and burning ruins remained where once elegant buildings had stood, likely for millennia. The sky was thick with boiling clouds of smoke, ash, and embers. In the distance, they could hear that unnerving trumpeting bray of the Reapers, and catch flashes of the crimson lances that tore up everything in their wake.

Hearing gunfire, Shepard gestured to her group to find cover and dropped down behind some debris. Putting the scope of her Widow to her eye, she scanned on infrared through the gloom. Seeing the gunfire was from a group of asari commandos holding this end of the bridge, she moved her own squad forward.

The commandos looked exhausted- they'd been no doubt fighting without pause since the initial attack. Their scouts spotted Del and her team immediately and they were greeted with a bristle of guns. She held her rifle pointed upward, her free hand extended.

"We're on your side!" she called. "I'm Captain Shepard, from the Alliance. Who's in charge?"

An older asari came forward, gesturing to the scouts to lower their weapons. "That would be Nikayta. I'm her second, Leshe Derfanis. We're hard pressed here and it's good to see some friendly faces. We've been trying to hold the bridge and the Temple grounds but we've been pushed hard, back to this point. We've lost half our group already, and more are wounded."

"Where is this Nikayta? I need to talk to her."

Derfanis escorted them into the barricade area, where a haggard looking asari in tattered combat gear was directing the others to use biotics to shore up a section that had been breached. As Del and her group neared, she waved Javik and Liara over to help.

"You in charge?" Del asked, shouting to be heard over the rumbles of weaponsfire and the shattering concrete.

"That's me. You're just in time to help us fall back. We're clearing down to the riverside-"

"If this bridge is lost, they'll have a clear shot to the Temple!"

"I know, but we're getting slaughtered! We can't hold here any longer-"

"Listen, I know you have no reason to trust me, but it is absolutely imperative that your troops hold this location! We need to reach the Temple-"

"I'm not keeping my troops here to be slaughtered over a building!"

"You're not! There's something _in_ that building that may turn the tide of this war and save more lives than you can fathom!"

"If we stay here, we are _going to die_," Nikayta said hotly.

"If you don't, billions _more_ will die," Shepard returned. "I know what it is I'm asking, believe me. I know it seems hopeless, but-"

"And who the fuck are _you_, anyway? Who are you to tell me that I should just 'trust' you and slaughter my entire command, just so you can get into an old building?"

"I'm Captain Shepard, I'm an Alliance-"

But an immediate change came over the asari. Fury vanished from her face into shock, and she stiffened.

"Captain _Del_ Shepard?"

"Yes."

Nikayta stared at her a moment, then gestured Derfanis over again. "Leshe! I'm cancelling the evac, I want those girls back on the barricade! We hold this bridge at all costs!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Leshe darted off, barking orders, Nikayta gripped Del's arm. "Were you anyone else, Captain, I'd tell you to fuck yourself. We'll hold here as long as we can. We've got a few gunships left…we'll do our best to clear the rest of your path to the Temple for you but you'll have to hurry!"

"Understood!" Del shouted back, striding with her toward the barricade. "Do you know if anyone is alive in the Temple still?"

"There were a group of scientists there, as well as the priestesses! Not sure why the science team was there but we haven't seen movement or had communications from the Temple itself for over an hour. They dropped a barricade around it to seal the doors but it may have been too late. My gut feeling…they're all dead. If they are alive, Captain, they're all civilians- not a single gun among them."

"Understood, and thank you!"

"You're the one I should be thanking, Captain. You may not know it, but you saved my aunt Shiala's life on Feros a few years back. Guess this is the least I can do in return. I just hope the cost doesn't end up being too high."

"You and me both," Del replied. The biotics at the barricade had managed to reinforce the gap with some more debris. Del regathered Javik and Liara.

"The gunships are going to come in and clear a path as much as they can. We don't know if anyone is still alive in the Temple but there is a barricade over the doors."

"I should be able to take care of that," Tali said.

"Once we're inside, we need to keep the building as secure as possible while we try and locate the artifact. Retrieve any civilians if you can, but finding that artifact is top priority!"

Garrus's voice suddenly came over the com, static with interference and just barely audible. _{Captain, we've got uninvited guests to our party.} _

"Repeat that, we're barely receiving you!"

_{….Cerberus ship. Looks to be heading toward your location.}_

"That's just fucking great…can the _Normandy_ engage? Garrus? Garrus!"

"The signal is lost again," Tali said. "It's a miracle he even got _that_ much through."

"Fuck. All right, this doesn't change the mission. We get in, we get that artifact, and we get out!"

The dust around them started to billow and curl, and Del looked upward as shadows crawled over their faceplates.

The commandos' gunships had arrived.


	71. Chapter 71

"_Head's up!"_

Shepard lunged out of the way as the flaming ruins of the gunship slammed into the side of the Temple's garden wall. A superheated hail of broken metal, glass, and shattered stone sprayed around them, a good sized chunk slapping into the back of Del's helmet with enough force to rattle her.

Surging back to her feet, she cast a quick glance at the wreckage. _No one could have survived that crash_, she thought, before she hefted her rifle up again and opened fire on the injured dragon husk now closing in.

Wobbling as if drunk, the badly damaged abomination half flopped to a landing nearby, skidding and butting up against the ruins of the gunship, before it tried to orient. Javik and Tali closed in, weapons spitting, and as it tried to turn toward them it slammed back again in a flare of Liara's biotics.

Mortally wounded, the reaper thrashed a little, collapsing. Claws swiped toward the asari but she was well out of range. With a growl of determination, she hit it again. Uttering one last high-pitched mechanical whine, it finally went limp.

Del hung her head a moment, trying to catch her breath. They were nearly in to the Temple, but they had been fighting for every square foot gained across the bridge. There was not only the aerial threat only half-contained by the damaged gunships to worry about, but swarms of husks in human, batarian, and asari form that pressed almost constantly on them. The human and batarian husks were one thing, but those banshees…Del would rather face any number of the other husks than those godless, terrifying abominations of asari.

Her momentary pause was all too brief, Javik almost immediately calling out. "Incoming, to the west!"

She whipped around, lifting her rifle, grimacing as she saw the banshee creeping over debris. "It's Poppin' Fresh again! Tali, get to the door and get that barricade down. We'll cover you!"

As Tali clambered over debris and ran toward the shimmering curtain of light blocking the Temple entrance, Del, Liara, and Javik opened fire. On the flanks of the banshee came a few human husks- barely a concern. Lobbing a grenade, Del took out the banshee's legs just as it prepared to biotically leap forward. As Javik and Liara loaded its skull with bullets, Del drew her katana and decapitated one of the human husks that had closed in.

The banshee went still, and she scanned around quickly to make sure there were no more coming. "Back to the door," she ordered. "Let's get inside."

Tali had a control panel off, her head and shoulders nearly lost inside as she worked to disrupt the barrier power systems. Over the wide archway leading into the Temple sanctuary, the waterfall of blue light shifted, stuttered, and then fell. Shepard was over the line the moment it disappeared, weapon up, Javik and Liara on her flanks.

The sanctuary was huge and richly decorated. Quiet pews filled the middle of it, each of intricately hand carved and polished wood. Sailing above them, the vaulted ceiling was domed with glass. On a clear night, a thick tapestry of stars would have been visible, but now all they could see was gray ash and boiling yellowish clouds.

At the far end of the sanctuary stood an enormous statue, female. It looked eternally upward toward that dome, hands raised as if feeling the first drops of a welcome rain. Shepard barely glanced at it, moving in with her rifle scanning between each pew she passed, seeking out the crevices and shadows where a hostile might lurk.

"Are we on a cliff?" Tali suddenly asked. She had entered after them, and noticed that part of the floor was also glass, extending in a ring around the main area. Beneath this glass, lights projected downward, revealing sheer rock walls and plummeting depths.

"No, it is a crevasse," Liara said. "It is an inactive fault line, left from an enormous earthquake. It is said that Athame first touched Thessian soil at this very spot, and when she did, the touch of her foot caused the ground to crack. That crevasse is a thousand feet deep, and extends completely under this room."

Del spotted a body as she neared the front of the sanctuary…and then another. A dozen asari lay there dead, scattered about in front of the pews and at the feet of their Goddess. Some were dressed in elegant blue and green gowns, but others were in lab uniforms. Puddles of dark blue and purple blood were already drying to a thick tack on the floor, staining lush carpeting.

As she crouched beside one, Liara reached her side and turned pale. "Goddess…how…how did this happen? They were secure behind the barrier-"

"Not as secure as they thought, apparently. Reapers didn't kill them- their throats have been cut. These wounds are all from a sharp edge, not bullets or claws."

"Someone seeking to take advantage of the situation?" Javik asked with a grimace. Shepard rose and gestured at the body at her feet.

"You tell me."

As he squatted, reaching out and resting a hand on the limp form, Shepard looked at Liara. "Are you ok?"

"That is the High Priestess. I knew her from my childhood. My mother used to bring me here. They were good friends. I remember she brought me candies on occasion, and I loved to sit and smell the rova incense burning. Goddess…"

She visibly steeled herself, and Shepard touched her shoulder lightly. "Why don't you and Tali start doing a scan, see if you can't find our artifact? Stay together and in this room, and keep your eyes peeled. If this area is clear then we'll move deeper into the Temple as a group. Don't go anywhere alone."

"Yes, of course." Liara turned away, heading for the quarian, and Del looked back down at Javik.

"Anything?"

"Not much. She tried to protect the others, but none of them were armed. For some reason, they did not use biotics. You were right, it was not Reapers that did this. I see swords, much like the ones you carry."

"Cerberus?" Del asked, looking around. "Can't be…they couldn't have gotten here before us."

"Unless they were already here before we landed, and the ship that Garrus saw was reinforcements."

"_Fuck_." Del was pissed. All reports after Rannoch indicated that most of the Cerberus forces across the galaxy had grown incohesive, withdrawing from engagements across the galaxy and retreating. To _where_, they had no real way of knowing, but it seemed with the loss of Shiva those troops under her unique brand of indoctrination were released and scattered.

If Cerberus troops were here now, then there were still some who followed the Illusive Man, and she didn't doubt they were here to get the same thing she was- the artifact.

_The information he stole from the Mars archives is incomplete as well. Somehow he found out about this artifact and he's hoping the same thing we are…that it'll fill the gaps._

They needed to find that artifact, _now_. If troops from Cerberus were already here, then they had a big head-start on looking.

Problem was, the sanctuary was _ringed_ with artifacts- valuables, and relics sealed and on display in plastiform cases. For Cerberus to have moved on, they would have to have already been convinced none of these were the item in question. Even so, Liara and Tali were scanning over each of them. Heading to the other side of the room with Javik, Del started on the first one there. They couldn't run the risk that Cerberus had missed something that they might pick up on.

This relic was a piece of stone, etched with hieroglyphics. In it, a tall feminine figure seemed to be instructing smaller figures. In the midst of her scan, she really looked at it, and noticed something. Frowning, she said, "Javik? Is it just me or does that tall figure look like a Prothean?"

"It is not just you. My people influenced the asari in many ways. They had a great deal of promise. We observed many species and uplifted several, such as the hanar. The asari were one of these, and a great favorite. You may say that they were our 'pet project'."

"Why is that?"

"Their biotics for one. We helped their biotics grow a great deal stronger. We were hoping when they were ready, they would form the perfect military force for the Prothean people. Supersoldiers with exponential biotics, who could breed at will with any other species. Some were against it, thought that they would grow too strong, overthrow the Prothean government. Fools. The strong are not strong if another is able to defeat them. Were the asari to grow to a point they could overthrow us, then they would deserve to."

Shepard gave him a narrow look, then turned her eyes back on the relic. "So Athame…"

"It seems to me that this 'Athame' is merely their mythological representation of the Prothean people. We taught them agriculture, metallurgy, mathematics. Before we came, they could count no higher than their toes. We took pity on them."

This time Del's glare at him was sharp. "I'm sorry if I believe the asari would have figured it out just fine on their own, if you hadn't interfered."

"They wouldn't have," he said matter-of-factly. "Their world was nearly destroyed by another species who wanted to invade, steal their resources. We stopped them. The asari would have had no chance against such invaders on their own. If we had not interfered, the asari would have been made extinct in that exchange. Our people were superior, and graced them with-"

"There are seven _billion_ known asari in the galaxy, Javik. I know of only _one_ Prothean. How's that _superiority_ working out for you?"

He scowled. "Captain-"

"You breathe _one word_ of this to Liara and I will make you suffer, are we understood?"

"I will not mention it to her, but she is neither stupid nor blind. As a child, she did not see these relics in the same light she will now, after having met a Prothean in the flesh. You cannot hide the truth from her."

"No, I can't, but she will _not_ hear it from me nor will she hear it from _you_. Her world is burning, and I won't have you tearing even more of her foundation out from under her out of avarice and spite, am I understood?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good, we-"

"Shepard!"

Del turned her head, looking across the room at Liara and Tali before she headed that way, rounding the front of the sanctuary. "What is it?"

"We have not found the artifact, it is not among these items over here. We…Shepard? Are you all right?"

Del had stepped carefully to avoid treading on or crossing over the silent bodies clustered on the ground. As she skirted them she walked closer to the looming statue of Athame, then slowed to a sudden halt. A familiar mental tug lifted goosebumps over her arms, a nonverbal whisper seeming to hum in her ears.

Barely hearing Liara's question, she turned toward the statue and stepped even closer to it. The sensation increased, the whispering growing louder. As if she had swallowed a magnet, her gut seemed to pull her forward, toward Athame.

"Shepard?" Liara was at her side, Javik and Tali reaching her a moment later. Del held out her hand toward Athame, then pointed.

"There's a beacon here," she said.

"What?"

"There's a Prothean beacon here, right _there_. I can feel it. Just like on Eden Prime and on Virmire."

"I am receiving no readings from the statue," Tali said, scanning it. Javik stepped closer, and also held his hand out. He nodded.

"Yes, I can feel it too. There is definitely Prothean technology here."

"It's in the statue. We need to find a way to get it out." Del stepped back, out of the unsettling aura of energy. The statue was huge, amounting to several tons of carved stone. Not to mention it was a holy relic, the image of the Goddess Athame herself. Destroying it didn't just _feel_ like sacrilege, it _was_ sacrilege.

It made the Matriarch's hiding of it here make all the more sense. No asari would dare destroy the statue of Athame, even if they weren't exactly followers or believers in Her. Liara wasn't really religious herself, but she had grown up here, spent her time here as a child. She had listened to the stories and some part of her did believe in them. It was a part of her childhood and her culture. To destroy this statue in front of her would be like destroying the Pyramids or the Sphinx back home. They were cultural icons to humanity, even if one _didn't_ believe the old Pharaohs were living gods.

"Shepard, are you absolutely sure?" The faint tremor in her voice as Liara asked the question only proved to Del exactly what she'd been thinking. Liara would understand the necessity of it, but it wouldn't make such a thing any easier to stomach.

"I'm positive, Li. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't."

"We haven't got the ordinance it would take to break open that statue," Tali said. "It'd almost take a hit from the _Normandy's_ main gun."

"The very fact that the Matriarchs hid the artifact rather than destroying it tells me they wanted to get to it again at some point. They wouldn't seal it up without any way to extract it. Let's search the room again. There's got to be a way."

They spread out again, pausing a moment as the Temple rumbled slightly in answer to the raging battle still going on outside in the city. The vibration reminded them that their time was scarce, and that at any moment, one of the Reaper ships could aim its sights this way and destroy everything in seconds.

Tali, with her engineering expertise, was the first to notice the almost invisible hair-thin wires at the base of some of the relics' podiums. Tracing them by their electromagnetic signal, she found an almost invisible seam on the floor in the center of the aisleway, hidden beneath a carpet.

Hauling a few of the carved pews aside, they freed the carpet and peeled it back. Del crouched, running her fingers over the seam that her omni-tool said was there, but she still couldn't see.

"Something rises up here, Shepard. We just need to activate it." Tali's fingers flew over her interface.

"Can you do it?"

"I _think_ so, but it's going to take a few minutes-"

"We don't have much time. It's a miracle we haven't been swarmed by husks from outside yet."

"I know, I'm working as fast as I can, but this is extremely sophisticated technology. I can't just flip an _on_ switch."

Del tried not to get impatient. It was hardly Tali's fault, but she felt exposed in this sanctuary, and with each second that passed their chance of obliteration only increased.

Finally, the quarian looked up from her screen. "I think I have it figured out. There's no way I can override it, but the controls link to two pedestals…that one holding the sword, and the other one holding the hieroglyphs on the other side of the room."

Being nearer to the one with the sword, she moved over to it first, and pointed to two places at odd locations on the pedestal itself. "Someone has to press these two points on this pedestal, while someone else simultaneously presses another two points on the _other_ pedestal. If that's done whatever is under the floor will rise up."

"Ok, Li- you take this pedestal and I'll get the other one," Del said, already turning to head back the hieroglyphs.

"Shepard, that won't work…there's a catch," Tali said, halting her. "The points are DNA readers. They'll only open if the one that presses them is asari."

"You're fucking kidding me!"

"No, I'm not. If anyone other than an asari presses those points, nothing will happen."

A serious of heavy rumbles outside shook the floor again, shifting the loose pews slightly and sending light fixtures swaying.

"Those were explosions, and too close for comfort," Del said after they faded. "How do we get that damned floor open when we only have _one_ asari?"

"C-Can we help?"

A tentative voice spoke from near the shadows by the statue. Del spun around, reaching for her rifle instinctively, before her hand moved away from it again.

An asari- an older Maiden, or perhaps a young Matron- stood there watching them hesitantly. She wore the same gown as did those dead on the floor nearby. Her forehead was bruised and scraped, dried blood forming a purple crust over it and down one cheek. She looked tired and frightened, but she was doing her best to appear stoic.

In her arms she held a younger asari, perhaps the size of a six or a seven year old human child. The girl was clinging to her, face pressed against her shoulder. The way the elder's hand was gently holding her head told Del that she was shielding her from the sight of the slain priestesses.

Liara hurried forward, Shepard a breath behind. Stepping between the pair and the bodies to block the view, Liara urged them toward a nearby pew. "Are you all right? Is she hurt?"

"She is just frightened, understandably," the older replied. "I am Priestess Razi Rais. This is Anaida. We hid in the lower levels of the Temple after the Reapers landed and the attack started. An hour ago, a group of armed and armored humans appeared. We thought they were here to evacuate us, but they began to threaten the High Priestess. I do not know what they were after, but she refused to answer their questions or to surrender it. They started executing the others to persuade her. I was lingering with Anaida near the basement door. They did not see me, and as soon as they started-… I-I just took Anaida and ran."

"You saved her life and your own," Shepard said. "Those human troops were from Cerberus."

"Cerberus…yes, I have heard of them. Is…that why you are here? To find what they were looking for?"

"Most likely. Priestess Rais-"

"Razi, please. I think titles can be dispensed with considering the circumstances."

"Razi. I am Captain Del Shepard with the Alliance. We'll get you and Anaida out safely, I swear it to you, but I need to ask you some questions first."

"I will answer to the best of my ability."

"These Cerberus troops, are they still here?"

"Yes, I believe so. We were hidden in a secret crawlspace beneath the cellars where the sacramental Visha'a is brewed. We heard them searching the cellars, but they did not locate us. I believe they have gone down into the lower Archives and Library. I came back this way hoping we could get out before they returned."

"How many were there, do you remember? How were they armed?"

"There were about a dozen of them. Two larger with heavy armor and rifles, and the rest were more slender, wrapped in clothes and breather helmets. These bore swords."

_Those crazy ninja bitches again_, Del thought. Curled on her lap, the little asari child turned her head a little. Shepard caught sight of a pair of aqua green eyes peeking at her, and smiled faintly, giving the girl a little wink before returning her gaze to Razi.

"They're looking for an artifact that may turn the tide of the Reaper war…we're here for the same reason. We've located it, sealed in the statue of Athame, and we think we've found the means to retrieve it, but we need your help."

"I-inside the statue?" Razi looked genuinely surprised and confused.

"You had no knowledge of this?"

"No, I…are you certain? The statue is blessed, it is thousands of years old. If you kneel at its feet in prayer, it is said if you are favored you can feel Athame's presence along your very skin."

_Sounds like what I felt when I realized the artifact was there. Sounds like some more sensitive asari are picking up on the beacon as well, and mistaking the sensation for some spiritual awakening or blessing._

"I am certain," Del told her, and Liara shook her head.

"Captain Shepard is a very good woman, Priestess. She would not harm the statue if she had no other recourse."

"I understand, I just…my head is spinning at the thought of all this. Of course if something is hidden in the statue that might stop this nightmare, I will help you to retrieve it. Our Goddess would not want us to keep safe a lump of stone in Her likeness while Her own daughters suffer and die! I just…I am unsure how to-"

"We think we've uncovered the means necessary," Del said, "But we need your help specifically…it takes two asari to activate the mechanism. Liara can show you what you need to do."

"Of course," Razi said, and started to rise. At the first indication her grip would loosen, the frightened girl in her arms whined in fear and clamped onto her all the tighter.

"'Naida, 'Naida darling, _shh_. You are safe here," Razi soothed. "I need to help Captain Shepard. I will not be out of your sight, but I must put you down to-"

The girl only shook her head frantically, shaking. Del reached up and took off her helmet, setting it on the pew before lightly touching the child's back. When the girl peeked at her again she smiled. "Hey there, kiddo. I know you're scared. I am too. But we want to get you and Razi out safely. To do that I need your help, ok?"

The child's eyes seemed to scrutinize Del's face with uncanny intensity, her expression skeptical under her tear-stained cheeks. After a moment, she slowly and somewhat suspiciously nodded.

"Ok," Del smiled at her. "I need you to stay right here with me, while Razi and Liara open up the statue. It will only take just a moment, and I can hold your hand the whole time, all right?"

The child narrowed her eyes a little, then sniffled. "Are you a human?"

"I am," Del said, then wrinkled her nose a little. "We're not all lucky enough to be asari, alas."

That brought a faint grin, and Del returned it, then held out one hand a little. "C'mon, kiddo. Can you be brave?"

Another moment's pondering, then the child released Razi and leaned over, flinging her arms around Del's neck. Shepard, not expecting the gesture, rocked back on her heels a little, a look of utter surprise coming over her face before she took hold of the child. Rising to her feet, lifting Anaida with her, she nodded at Liara.

"Come, this way," Liara said gently, touching Razi's elbow as the Priestess rose. She directed her to the far pedestal, Tali showing her where to touch, then hurried herself back to the first one. Del moved well away from the center of the aisle, joining Javik in the back corner of the Sanctuary. She had no idea what was going to happen and she wanted the kid to be well away from anything that might go boom.

Positioned, Liara placed her hands and looked across the room at the Priestess with a nod. "Ready?"

"I am prepared."

"On my mark. Three, two, one…_mark_!"

They both pressed their fingers down at the same moment. There was a faint vibration, and the area in the center of the aisle shifted and began to turn. A circle about four feet in diameter rotated nearly a full revolution, than began to rise out of the floor.

Liara released her hold on the pedestal and stepped back, watching Razi doing the same. The floor piece was nothing but camouflage, a decorative cap on top of a pillar of electronics. Part of the pillar folded outward as it reached about ten feet in height and drew to a halt, revealing what could only be the output of a large plasma gun.

Tightening an arm around the child protectively, Del winced a little as the gun discharged with a deafening boom. At the sound, Anaida squealed a little, and unconsciously Del soothed with a few quiet hushes. The boom wasn't just there and done- it seemed to continue, roaring louder as the huge and ancient statue came apart and began to collapse.

The moment stillness fell again, Del hurried forward, passing the child back to Razi. What time they had was now cut even shorter. There was no way the Cerberus troops could have missed that explosion. If they realized it had come from within the Temple, they would swarm this location in moments.

Javik was on her heels, and as she passed the child to the priestess she ordered him to stay with them and guard them with his life, even as she continued on toward the cloud of sifting gray dust that had once been Athame.


	72. Chapter 72

Stepping over and around large chunks of stone, boots crunching in gravel and settling dust, Del reached the base of the obliterated statue. Behind her followed Liara and Javik, the asari's eyes flooding with half-controlled tears as she regarded the ruins of Athame. Stooping, she plucked something up from the ground, tucking it into one of the pouches on her hip.

The bottom of Athame's skirt was still intact, though deeply cracked. Rising out of it was the beacon, a dark obelisk that was both familiar and alien at the same time. The other two beacons she had encountered had been smaller, with a slightly different design. Wary, she glanced aside at Javik before approaching the base.

A green light pulsated faintly along the flanks of the ancient artifact, an illumination that began to grow in strength. She felt that sensation across her skin again, a million tiny hairs prickling on her arms and the back of her neck.

Unlike before, she was not seized into the air, nor was her brain flooded with frantic and half-understood imagery. Instead, the light seemed to brighten and focus, swelling and then compacting into an orb that broke away from the monolith and sailed over their heads, toward the back of the Sanctuary. Del spun to follow it, praying she hadn't actually just unleashed some cataclysmic weapon.

The orb sailed low over the aisleway, prompting Razi to duck slightly, shielding the wide-eyed Anaida protectively. Uninterested in the two, the orb continued on its way, finally touching to ground a few yards further on.

As it settled, it flashed and then changed, the holographic form of a Prothean appearing.

"A…VI?" Liara asked in surprise.

"_I am Vendetta, created by Prashak Vran. Identify."_

"_I am Captain Shepard of the Alliance,"_ Del said, ignoring Liara's surprised glance. Del knew on some level that the ancient VI was speaking Prothean, and that she was responding in kind, but she was too focused to dwell on it.

"_You are human, much advanced. This is the new Cycle. Yet you have a Prothean with you."_

"_I am the last,"_ Javik said.

"_We need information, Vendetta," _Shepard said, activating her omni-tool and displaying an image of the Crucible for him to see. "_We are building a weapon called the _Crucible. _We found the plans in an ancient Prothean archive-"_

"_Yes. My creator, Prashak Vran, was head of this same project in our cycle. He was killed at the battle of Tranbir 9 before it could be completed."_

The ground rumbled again as another nearby explosion rocked the landscape just outside the temple. Del steadied herself automatically, but Vendetta looked surprised, turning his head.

"_There is battle-"_

"_The Reapers are decimating this world,"_ Del told him. _"We don't have much time. We need information to complete the-"_

"_Then this Cycle's elimination has begun. You are already out of time."_

"_I'm __**not**__ willing to accept that. We have the Crucible almost complete, but we are missing key data…data that you likely have. We need to know what the power source and the catalyst program are, and where we can find them."_

"_That information is stored in my databanks but the effort is futile. The 'Crucible' has been built countless times by countless species since the plans were initially discovered in the First Cycle. None have succeeded in defeating the Reapers with it. Most did not even complete it. It was Prashak Vran's conclusion that unless the Crucible could be built and studied before an extermination cycle was begun, that it would never-"_

The VI broke off, turning its head to some point over Shepard's shoulder, before it calmly said, _"Hostile forces detected. Powering down."_

Hearing running boot steps, Del hauled out her rifle and turned. "Incoming hostiles! Razi, get the kid to cover! Tali, see if you can't download Vendetta and the data we need from the beacon."

The frightened priestess rushed the little girl over to a shady spot. Tali hurried toward the beacon, her omni-tool lighting, only to wince and dance backward as a small metal disc spun in, hitting the ground near her feet.

"Grenade!" she cried out, turning and darting back.

Del leapt for cover in concert with Liara, a bright flash and a rough push of air and dust flinging them into the pews. Stumbling to her feet, Del looked first to Tali, who was pulling herself up nearby and thankfully seemed unharmed.

Shepard swept her rifle up to her shoulder, a dozen forms now between them and the artifact. As Razi had described, there were a pair of Cerberus troopers in heavy armor, and several smaller forms, swathed head to toe in skin-suits and leather or cloth padding. They held no guns, but Del knew from painful experience that they could move unbelievably fast, and were just as much of a threat with those blades of theirs as the troopers were with their rifles.

Oddly enough, none of them had their weapons out. One of the troopers was standing a little ahead of the others, and in his hand he was holding what looked like another grenade. Del's glove creaked a little as she tightened her finger on the trigger.

"I wouldn't do that Captain," the trooper said in a low, warning voice. She could not see his face, but his helmet tilted a little, indicating behind her. Not stupid enough to actually just turn her head and look, Shepard only narrowed her eyes a bit before Tali exclaimed.

"Oh, Keelah…"

"Shepard, the reinforcements have arrived," Liara said in a soft, trembling voice.

Del could hear the humming engines of a gunship. Her finger eased off her trigger and she half turned her head, risking a glance behind her.

A dozen more troopers had entered the temple, rifles ready. Outside the archway, not one but _two_ gunships were hovering.

_Why aren't we dead already?_ Del thought, and carefully lowered her rifle. They weren't shooting for a reason, and she didn't want to give them an excuse. Against their weapons and numbers, her small squad wouldn't stand a chance, and there was a civilian and a little girl to think about as well.

Her temper was simmering, gaining more and more heat as she glared at the man in front of her. Her own death was one thing- she was a soldier, trained for the worst and she had already died more than once. Losing Tali and Liara, _that_ was a separate issue- never mind the fact that if they didn't get that data and get out of here, the entire population of the galaxy was royally fucked.

As her rifle lowered, the man in front of her nodded. "That's better. Someone would like to speak to you."

The 'grenade' in his hand flared into blue light, lifting off his palm and moving through the air toward her. As it neared, the image of a human man coalesced around it. Del's eyes hardened even more as she recognized the Illusive Man, the mobile projector a small star that seemed stuck to his chest.

"Shepard, good to see you again."

"Cut the bullshit, _Jack_. What do you want?"

"I see we're on a first name basis now. I want what I've always wanted, Del. A way to advance humanity, control the Reapers-"

Her teeth grit hard enough to ache when he said 'Del'. "I saw your twisted idea of a way to 'control' the Reapers. It was an abomination and a _failure_."

"Yes, _Inna_. Sweet girl, but- truth be told, despite my best efforts, she was no _you_."

She snorted. "You think Shiva would have gone better if it had been _me_?"

"I _know_ it would have. Perhaps I was too kind in leaving as much of her mind her own as I did. A mistake I won't duplicate."

"_Duplicate?_ Shiva is gone, destroyed. Thirty years of the best and brightest of Cerberus pouring in their blood and sweat to that project, and she only managed to control _one_ Reaper…for _five seconds_…as it was _dying_. I'd call that the very definition of a _failure that need not be duplicated_."

"Your vision has always been narrow, Shepard. Black and white, painted only in the shades of what must be _hit_ and what must be _blown up_. I will agree, there were mistakes with Inna and Project Shiva…but what _you_ call a failure, _I _call a test run, a way to work out the bugs-"

"_Bugs_?" Del couldn't help the astonished laugh. "She took over you and most of your troops, and was planning a way to turn everyone in the _galaxy_ into her puppets and thralls! And you call those _bugs?_"

"I haven't got time to stand here and debate all day with you, Shepard. The truth of the matter is, our only hope of survival is what it has _always_ been…complete and utter dominance of the Reapers and their forces. I have done my best to make you see and understand that, but…well, you really _are_ just a meathead after all- one that has more than served its purposes."

Turning his head, he looked at his trooper. "Retrieve the data from the artifact."

As the trooper turned to do so, Del took a menacing step forward. Instantly, the air was filled with the warning ratchets of rifles and the far more ominous spin of the heavier machine guns mounted on the gunships. She froze, her scowl turning murderous. The Illusive Man only looked smug, arching a brow in her direction.

"I truly _am_ sorry, Shepard."

"Fuck _you_."

His response was to take a thoughtful draw on his holographic cigarette, as the trooper downloaded the VI and data from the artifact.

"Got it sir."

"Good. Bring it to me immediately."

"What about the prisoners, sir?" he asked as the other troops in front of the statue began to move around toward the door. The Illusive Man's synthetic eyes narrowed a bit as he regarded Del, and she glared venom right back.

"Good-bye, Shepard," he said after a moment, gesturing at the man and then stepping through her as they moved up the aisleway. The insult in the motion was clear- he didn't consider her even the slightest obstacle in his path.

The trooper reached a hand out, the mobile projector powering down and moving back into his grasp. A breath before his image disappeared, the Illusive Man waved a hand. "Take out the supports. Bury them in this Temple."

The gunships instantly lit up, rockets sweeping from their underbellies and slashing into the Sanctuary, aimed at the pillars that held the huge dome aloft. As the first blooms of fire swelled, Shepard surged forward, her rifle igniting as she fired toward the still retreating troops. Her aim, thrown off by the smoke and the first bone-rattling concussion, nevertheless managed to wound one of the sword-bitches in the leg. She stumbled to the side as the next explosion lit up the air, a wooden pillar swelling and splitting apart under its force.

Everything went to noise, chaos. She felt the ground shift underfoot, her HUD flashing madly as her vision was nearly completely obscured. Liara, with a frantic sweep of her hand, managed to deflect one of the rockets away from its intended target, sending it careening instead into the artifact.

Del did not see its destruction, nor the flaring boil of green flame it produced. The ground shifted beneath her feet with the groan of a dying giant, and half the sanctuary suddenly tilted to one side. Above them, the dome had shattered, great slabs of glass the size of doors sailing down with enough force to decapitate, or split even an armored body in half. One shard buried itself into the floor not a foot away from Liara, and she skipped back away from it.

Lost in smoke and debris, Del felt the floor beneath her tear and rise, lifting her momentarily upward as a huge section behind her gave way, dropping toward the yawning crevasse. Lunging, she belly flopped onto the still level section of floor, her legs swinging down behind her, dangling over the abyss. She started to slide, and dug her fingers in, snarling through her bared teeth as she struggled back up onto solid ground.

She barely had time to realize how close she'd come to falling a few thousand feet, when she heard a gut wrenching cry of pain.

"_Tali!"_ She tried to orient on the sound, another tremble shaking through the ground. The gunships were lifting away now, the displacement of air from their engines sending the smoke and dust into mad whirlwinds of cinder and debris.

For a moment, she saw a shape on the ground, caught sight of a flailing hand. Lunging forward she grasped it, and Tali cried out again, a grit-toothed wail. There was a tug, and the hand almost tore away from hers.

"_Tali!"_

Grabbing hold of her again, heaving her bodily backward until the quarian was nearly laying atop her, Del felt Tali's free arm wind around the back of her neck, gripping her frantically. Something tugged again and she cried out in agony.

The unstable floor shifted a little, and Del tightened her grip, her boots skidding along the floor before they came upon a crack. Tali was pulled back again, and both struggled to maintain their grip. It felt as if Del were playing tug-of-war with the poor quarian. Bracing her foot on the crack, she hauled as hard as she could, pulling the young quarian toward her once more, her muscles straining.

Groping, trying to maintain her hold, Del's questing hand felt the taut length of a cable and realized what had happened.

One of the Cerberus troops, possibly the one she'd shot in the leg, had not gotten out in time. Finding themselves falling into the crevasse as the floor gave way, they had launched a grappler and line. The grappler, a six-inch length of solid metal, was designed to sink into concrete or stone and anchor there, thanks to a dozen backwards facing barbs on its surface.

Following the cable with her fingers revealed what she feared. Their shot had missed concrete, and instead had speared Tali through the shoulder, sinking deep enough the point of the grappler was protruding out of the front of her suit, just beneath her collar bone.

Gripping hold of the cable, Del tried to pull it upward, get some slack. Instead, it tightened again and they were both pulled an inch or two closer to the lip of the crevasse. Tali gasped and Del braced her foot harder to prevent them sliding over.

Thinking frantically, Del weighed her options. She could not cut the cable, even if she _could_ free her knife, and she could not use her omni-blade at this angle without releasing Tali. The quarian's grip on her was frantic but shaky, and getting weaker. If Del let go, the quarian would be pulled instantly into the crevasse and be lost.

The only way she was going to free the girl was by yanking the grappler back out the way it had come in- which meant making the wound exponentially worse as the barbs ripped their way out.

Another tug, and the cable grew tighter still as the foe on the other end of it tried to climb upward. Del's foot was slowly sliding free of the crack. She had to act now or they were both going to go over.

"Tali, hang tight!" she said. "I'm sorry!"

She gripped the protruding end of the grappler, right where the cable joined it. The moment the tension on it eased even slightly, she yanked with all her strength.

The scream in her ear as the grappler was torn back out of Tali's body was agonizing to hear. Blood flowed in a thick wave, but the grappler was free. Releasing it, Del didn't even savor the moment as the Cerberus ninja on the other end plunged into the abyss. Instead her hand planted over the wound and she pushed back from the crumbling edge, hauling herself up to her feet and pulling Tali with her.

Gaining more solid ground, Del lowered Tali into a sit as Liara and Javik rushed in through the smoke. The Prothean looked like he had a broken arm, and both had clearly been battered around some. Seeing the blood, Liara dropped to Tali's side, already searching her pouches for a few medi-gel packs to seal the wounds.

Getting to her feet, Del drew her pistol, running for the archway leading out of the Temple, her mind a red-hot snarl of fury. Emerging into the open air, she saw the gunships sailing away in the distance-taking with them not only the Cerberus troops but also any hope they had on completing the Crucible.

Though the gunships were far out of any possible reach of her weapons, she lifted her pistol and fired after them, a grit-toothed cry of the purest hate and frustration underscoring each yank of the trigger, until finally the gun dry-clicked, its thermal clip overheated.

_This isn't over_, her glare promised not only to the dwindling specs of the Cerberus vehicles, but to the looming form of the maliciously careless Reaper on the horizon. _This isn't goddamn over, not by a long-shot._

* * *

The shuttles came in low over the ragged avenue, settling nearby in a blast of dirt and gravel. As the door to the nearest one lifted, Liara urged the battered Priestess on board. Bruised and silently weeping, Razi still clung to the terrified child in her arms.

Shepard stepped aboard after them, cradling an unconscious Tali in her arms. Though Liara had managed to seal both the entrance and exit wounds with medi-gel, the quarian had lost a lot of blood and had fainted not long afterward. Cortez looked out of the cockpit as Del lay her on the bench.

"I managed to get hold of the _Normandy_," he said, jerking his chin toward the back of the shuttle to indicate the second one that had landed behind him. "Doc's coming."

Del nodded, looking back down at Tali. Though the girl's eyes were still closed, Shepard pressed her hand against the side of her faceplate. "You just hang on tight. You're gonna be fine."

Two figures pulled themselves in from outside. Del drew back as Chakwas took her place, already cracking open a portable medi-kit. On her flank was Ash, who regarded the limp quarian with grim intensity.

Looking at her pilot, Del was suddenly all business. "Cortez, get them back aboard the _Normandy_ as quickly and as safely as you can. Javik, stay here with them. Li, Ash, you are with me on the second shuttle."

"You're not coming back aboard ship?" Cortez asked, clearly concerned as she stepped off after them.

"We still have to get Dees. Go on, Cortez, you have your orders. Move out."

She hit the door control, stepping back as it swung shut and then heading to the second shuttle idling behind it.

Ashley pulled herself in, thumping on the edge of the cockpit door. Liara was on her heels, and leaned in, telling Haley how to get to the T'Soni complex.

"It is still intact?" she asked with more than a little worry clear in her voice.

"Scans of those coordinates show that it's standing, at least…but it's right inside the edge of the hot-zone."

"Then we haven't got much time. Please, _hurry_."

As the shuttle began to lift, Del remained standing, bracing herself with one hand on the rail just above the inside of the door. Liara stepped close, laying one shaking hand lightly on her shoulder-pad. "You did what you could," she said softly, hoping she pulled off the encouragement and confidence that she was far from feeling.

Shepard didn't answer, making no sound but the faint creak of her glove as her grip tightened on the bar over her head, gripping it as firmly as she could imagine gripping the Illusive Man's throat.

_I will find you. I swear to hell and damnation itself, I will hunt you down and I will __**find you**__._


	73. Chapter 73

It had been years since Liara had been home.

When she'd left, her university days had just been completed, and ahead of her lay numerous digs on various planets- some dry and dusty, some hot and humid, but all vastly lonely. That was how she preferred it. Though most often, especially in the early days, she'd had full teams of scientists and archaeologists around her, she had spent most of her time to herself, and soon gravitated toward projects where it could just be her and her data files.

The isolation had felt liberating, indelibly peaceful. Liara had never seemed to do too well in the company of others. A shy child to begin with, she felt almost perpetually socially awkward. Her attempts to interact with those her own age had inevitably lead to some blunder or horribly embarrassing social faux pas, and so she had learned to avoid them.

Then she had come aboard the _Normandy_.

It wasn't just Shepard who had drawn that shy and awkward Liara out of her shell. Once the initial misunderstanding regarding her mother was over with, the entire crew had embraced her, accepting her for who she was and treasuring her talents. She was part of something important, and there was now someone she could not imagine doing without.

Then Shepard had died, and the loneliness and isolation that had once been her security blanket now became a horrible weight pressing constantly down upon her. Her friends scattered, the most important person in her life gone, Liara had clung feverishly to blind hope because it was all she had left.

Not once during those two years had she ever really thought about her family complex back on Thessia. Looking worriedly at it now on the shuttle's interior scan feed as they neared it, she realized that was because it was no longer truly 'home' for her.

Home was the _Normandy_. Home…her _real_ home…was Shepard.

That realization, however, did not make seeing the complex again any easier. Home or not, she had grown up here and had fond memories. To see it this way now wrenched her stomach.

Del looked at the feed grimly over Liara's shoulder. Though it had not come under the brunt of direct attack, which was limited mostly to the city just behind them, it had also not been untouched. Half of the complex's outbuildings and part of one wing were on fire. The rolling hills of grass and tree orchards were smoking, smudging black along the clouds of yellow ash.

"Still cannot reach them," Haley said from the pilot's chair. "If anyone's alive in there-"

"She is alive. She _has_ to be," Liara said.

"She is, and we're going to find her," Del told her, the pointed toward a flat area just beside a hill. "Put us down over there, Haley. If the wind changes and that fire heads your way, move to the north but stick close. The moment we have her we need to be gone."

"Understood."

The shuttle swung in to its landing zone, the side door already opening even as it settled. Shepard was out the moment there was room, followed very closely by Liara, and then Ashley. Rifles up, they quickly scanned the vicinity, seeing nothing of immediate threat.

Del started to actually hope that the fire was an accident, and that none of the actual Reaper forces had gotten this far, when a distant but unnerving shriek filled the air, obliterating the hope even as it began.

"Banshees," she said in a growl under her breath. "Li, you're going to have to take point since you know the layout."

The asari stepped past her, weapon up and moving carefully as they crossed the small garden and headed inside. The floor was wet, puddles reflecting a dozen lights at their feet. The fire suppression systems had been triggered, though they were doing little to contain the conflagration in the other wing.

Some of the water had been soaked into carpets, but enough of the floors remained bare that footing would be tricky if they engaged hostiles. As they passed each door, they opened and cleared the room beyond, doing their best to insure they would not be ambushed from behind, nor that they were walking right past someone hiding who needed help.

The lack of bodies was disquieting. Though the T'Soni complex was large it was hardly filled to capacity, but it did have a small staff who saw to upkeep. They saw numerous patches of dried or still tacky blood, but no corpses or injured to go along with them.

"They…they may all be banshees," Liara said, a quaver in her voice as they neared the main staircase.

"Don't start losing hope, Tianlán. They might still be alive and hiding. And don't forget- Dees may be pregnant but she's also a trained assassin. She can take care of herself."

"She may have left the complex, found higher ground," Ashley said. Del nodded.

"It's possible, but we've got to be sure. I don't want to risk passing her up."

They reached the top of the stairs, the curved flight leading down into a wide and open entry hall linked to the main front door. Del held her fist up, edging past Liara to the top of the steps, crouching as she carefully surveyed the area. She had no way of knowing that it was in this same entry hall that Osco had once stood, opening Benezia's casket and taking from her the small DNA sample that would later be grown into Eír.

Had she known, some subconscious part of her may have fancied it could feel Osco's lingering, discorporeal mad fury railing at her for daring to set foot in this place.

Satisfied the room was empty, Del gestured at Ashley, who hurried past her, moving down the stairs and taking up station at the base of it. When Ash gestured, Del sent Liara down, then followed herself.

"We are nearing the far wing," Liara said. "The fire is still heavy- we will not be able to enter it safely."

"What's through there?" Del asked, gesturing at another door.

"It leads through the dining and kitchen areas, and joins onto the staff quarters. Osco's laboratory is through that direction as well. I understood that she had been given one of the larger common areas down there to use for her purposes."

Del lead the way to the door. Though it had been upgraded with most modern accoutrements, the complex was still-quite literally- several hundred years old, and most of the doors were swinging instead of automatic. This was one such door, and she eased it open carefully with her foot, her weapon up and ready.

The next moment, it felt as if she had been hit with a MAKO. A bellowing roar rang through her head as the door and most of the wall surged outward, slamming into her and sending her flying backward across the hall.

The familiar warm rush of biotics enveloped her, halting her momentum a moment before she would have hit the far wall with bone-breaking force, and dropping her instead into a far gentler landing on the floor. Coughing, she stumbled up to her feet, kicking aside debris from the ruined door and wall. She had managed to keep hold of her rifle, and yanked it upward, opening fire.

It was one of those brutish krogan-turian monstrosities. The hallway beyond the door was clearly just large enough to accommodate its girth, but the doorway itself was not. Having taken out the door and a good portion of the surrounding wall, it was still half-stuck, ramming its bulk forward in an attempt to break free, one thick arm reaching and flailing in an attempt to grab those firing at it.

Bullets chewed in a dusty, bloody parade across its skull and neck and it bellowed again, the sound breaking off in a gurgling groan as the weapons fire tore its jaw free from its skull. It surged again, plaster and wood cracking under the force, and nearly broke free. Its huge clawed hand tore along the wood flooring, opening gouges.

Liara dropped her weapon, reaching out with two hands as if she meant to grab it by the non-existent ears. Her entire body flared with blue light, fire surrounding the brute's skull . She tore her hands back and its head ripped free of its neck, tumbling away across the ruined floor.

Its body surged forward again weakly before slumping and going still. Shepard stopped firing but kept her weapon up, kicking another chunk of broken door away from her feet as she moved forward, scanning over the husk's body until she was sure all was clear behind it.

She lowered her gun as Liara looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Del said. "If you hadn't caught me I'd have hit that wall hard enough to cause some damage."

"I…I did not catch you, Shepard," Liara told her, confused. "I was thrown off balance by the impact. I had no opportunity too."

Shepard stared at her. "Well, _someone_ with biotics caught me-"

"That would be me," a strained voice said from the stairwell. Gripping the railing with one hand, Navis had her other cradled close around her midsection and looked to be in pain. Their surprise at seeing her there lasted only a heartbeat, before Liara ran toward her, alarmed.

"Dees!"

Catching hold of her, Liara helped her to sit on the step, eyes wide as Del reached their side as well.

"Shepard, she is injured-"

"I am all right," Navis replied. "Just…exhausted. Couple of cracked ribs I think. I should have known you would come after me. You are…you are very good friends."

Crouched, Del reached out and put a hand on her knee. "We're going to get you out of here. Are any of the rest of the staff still alive?"

"No, I do not think so," Navis replied. "Karai and Livan are dead back in the lab. I was with Sorisi for a while but she was injured and started to act strangely. She tried to attack me. I-I think she was turning into one of those…those _things_."

"Ok." Del gripped her knee, then looked at Liara. "Get her out the front door and onto the shuttle. Ash and I will continue. If there's _any_ chance that anyone else is still alive here we have to find them."

"Del, I am not sure that is a wise idea. Just two of you-"

"We'll be careful. If we haven't found anyone in five minutes, we'll book. Ok?"

Liara didn't look convinced, but nodded. As she helped Deirdre up, Del activated her com and hailed the shuttle.

"Haley, you still kicking?"

_{Here and waiting, Captain.}_

"Liara and Navis are coming out the main door. Pick them up and hold for us. Ash and I will take another five."

_{Understood. Heading toward the front now.}_

They came down off the steps, Liara with an arm slung around Navis to help support her. As they reached the door, she looked at Del again. "Five minutes…?"

"Five, I swear," Del told her. "Go on. Get her into shade."

* * *

Shepard turned back into the complex, Liara and Navis stepping outside. Thanks to the clouds and smoke, it seemed almost as if night had fallen, though it was not quite mid-afternoon. Somewhere above all this destruction, the cheerful Thessian sun was still shining brightly, oblivious to the plight of those far below.

As they crossed the grass and neared the shuttle, Liara felt the first of the tears start, the fear, pain and grief finally overwhelming her. Even though she was wearing a helmet, Deirdre caught sight of them and gripped Liara's shoulder, saying nothing more than "I know."

Their people, their home world, were being _erased_. Thousands upon thousands of years of asari culture was being eliminated as if it were nothing more than an insect infestation in someone's attic. Liara felt so helpless in the wake of it.

She helped Navis into the shuttle, sitting her down. Peeling off her helmet and setting it aside, she wiped a hand over her cheeks and activated her omni-tool, distracting herself by focusing on her friend's injuries.

"You were correct, you have a few cracked ribs," she said as she scanned. "Some bruising…and you are dehydrated."

"My daughter?" Navis asked tiredly, distant fear reflecting in her eyes.

"I am no physician, but from what I can see, she is just fine, Dees. Her heartbeat is strong and regular."

"Oh, thank the Goddess," Navis seemed to crumple, a shaking hand covering her face. "When I was thrown into that railing, I-…"

She broke off into a half choked sob, and Liara switched off the scan, moving to sit beside her on the bench and winding an arm around her shoulders. After a moment, Navis seemed to recover herself a bit.

"I know it sounds selfish of me, but she is the only part of Sydney I have left. I do not know what I would do if I lost this child, Liara. She is the only thing that has kept me going. I never…I never expected losing Syd would do this to me, hurt this _badly_…"

"She loved you a great deal, Dees. And it is not selfish to hold on to the hope that your daughter brings. We _all_ need a reason to fight, to go on. Goddess knows, if I lost Shepard…"

Her brows knit and she trailed off, looking toward the shuttle door. Had it been five minutes yet? It felt like a lifetime.

Memories of her dreams kept coming back to haunt her, and it did not help that most of them were set here, at this very location. Time and time again she had dreamt of showing Shepard her childhood home, only to watch in horror as both it and her love were incinerated by the Reapers. She did not believe in precognition, but some deep and primal part of her spirit was terrified that her dreams would come to pass.

_What would I do if they did? What will I do if this war does claim Shepard's life?_ Liara could not imagine living without Del, and yet…she knew that if it happened and she were to give up, seek her own life-

_If there is a world after this one, could I do such a thing? Could I do it, and then face Del in the life to come, knowing that she had fought so hard and sacrificed so much to save the galaxy, to save __**me**__…and I had thrown away such a sacrifice for my own selfish grief?_

Feeling small and lost, she held Dees close and tried not to count the passing seconds. If Del died, was there any way that she could go on? She had done so once, but the pain and loneliness had been horrible, and she had only endured it because Miranda had given her hope that Shepard could be resurrected. It would be beyond foolish to think there was any chance of that happening again.

_If Shepard dies, I have to find some way to keep on. I have to find some way to continue my life…something to cling to, to give me that hope._

The shuttle door suddenly lifted again, and Liara looked up as Shepard and Ashley appeared, hauling themselves on board. Her heart seemed to restart with a thud of relief.

"Get us out of here, Haley," Del called up front, shedding her helmet and then crouching in front of the pair of asari. "She ok?"

"She has a few minor injuries that will need treatment," Liara replied. "She is mostly dehydrated and exhausted, but she will be fine, as will her daughter. You found no one else alive?"

"No, and we couldn't get past into Osco's lab. There was another of those brutes and the place was swarming with banshees. I'm sorry, Li."

Liara wanted to tell her it was all right, that she'd done what she could. All she could think, however, was that they were leaving Thessia…leaving all of her people behind to die. She lowered her head, the tears renewing. As Shepard's hand wound around the back of her neck, Liara leaned forward into her embrace and tried her best not to despair.

* * *

The ride back up to the _Normandy_ was a bit hairier than their ride down. More of the Reaper ships had converged on the capital like sharks closing in on wounded prey, and even a target as small as the shuttle was not beyond notice. More than one shot sailed their way, and only Haley's quick stick-work saved them from some serious damage.

They finally rendezvoused with the _Normandy_, Shepard ordering Joker out of the system at top speed the moment she set foot on the deck. Though she knew she didn't have much of a choice in giving the order, the look on Liara's face as she stepped past to take Navis up to the infirmary wounded her.

She reached the infirmary herself a few minutes later, only to be stopped just outside the door by Nan. Before the older woman could speak, Del asked, "Tali? How is she?"

"It's not good, Del," Nan said. "She's unconscious. The wound was pretty severe, but so was the suit breach. Helen's doing all she can but we just don't have the clean facilities here that are needed. She's got a high fever and she's only going to get sicker if we keep trying to treat her here. She's stable for now, but we _need_ to get her to a medical facility equipped to handle quarians in full static isolation. She needs surgery and other treatments that we just can't do without killing her. We can't even take her suit off to make things easier."

Del nodded grimly. "Then we get her back to Rannoch and the Fleet. I'll have Joker head that way now."

As she started to turn back to the lift, Nan caught her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Del. Not Tali's wound, and not what's happening on Thessia. You're doing all you can."

Shepard paused, but didn't look at her. "Yeah," she said, giving Nan's hand a faint squeeze before releasing it and heading up to the CIC.

It was an hour before she was able to come back downstairs. They were heading back to the Veil but it would take them nearly ten hours to rendezvous with a small quarian vessel that would be able to take and treat Tali. Helen had Tali sequestered as best she could, Adams and his engineers having put static panels around most of her bio-bed, linking them with a barrier to create a tiny private 'room' for the girl. The space was sterilized as best Helen could make it, and even she didn't pass within it without a full hard-suit and helmet on.

Del, unable to enter, could only look through the barrier mournfully. Tali was still unconscious, still suited with her wounded arm and shoulder contained in their own separate static cast. Helen was just finishing checking on her and came shuffling out, removing her helmet as she passed outside the barrier. "These things are _ungodly_ heavy," she said as she set the helmet aside, shifting her shoulder-pad uncomfortably. "How you run and leap about in combat with these I'll never understand."

"She going to be ok?" Del asked, looking back at the quarian.

"Well, she's in critical condition, but we're keeping her vitals more or less stable. So far her lungs are pretty clear, which is a good indication. She has a high fever but we've managed to keep it down out of the red zone so far. She's young and strong, which are points in her favor but…well, between shock and blood loss and her suit rupture…." She made a helpless gesture. "The sooner we get her into the hands of a quarian medic with proper facilities, the better."

Del wiped a hand over her face, her dark eyes glistening. Chakwas touched her arm.

"She's strong, Shepard. And she's had a good example of how to go through impossible situations and get out clean on the other end. Have faith."

"Dees and Javik?" Del said after a moment.

"Deirdre's fine. She's resting. Just some dehydration and a few bruises. She had some hairline fractures in a couple of ribs but they weren't worth even binding. Best medicine for her is sleep and relaxation. Baby's just fine as well, and so far her pregnancy is progressing on par with asari standards. She'll start showing in another month or two. Javik broke his wrist, nothing to write home about."

Del nodded weakly . "We left so many people behind…"

"I know. On Earth, on Palaven, and now on Thessia. The only way to stop this is to stop _them_, Del. You know that as well as I."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"Course it doesn't. You've still got a conscience and a soul."

Shepard said nothing, still watching the sleeping quarian. Finally, she put her hand on Helen's shoulder. "Li go to her room?"

"I believe so."

"I need to make sure she's ok. Let me know if anything changes with Tali. Good or bad, _dong ma_?"

"Of course, Captain."

Del was not under any delusion that Liara would actually _be_ ok. She only too well remembered that gut-wrenching nausea of having to see people being slaughtered in the streets of New York, of having to leave them behind. Liara was tough, and had seen more battles and combat than she ever should have, but she was still a civilian, with no formal military training or conditioning. As horrible as it had been for Del to leave, Liara was likely suffering through twice that.

She didn't even knock, just walked in to the former XO quarters Liara had repurposed into her mobile Broker base. While she was technically quartered here, more often than not she slept in Del's bed up in the Nest.

The Broker systems were lively but silenced, Glyph a silent silver seraph hovering glumly over the desk. Liara was on her bed, curled on her side with her knees drawn up. In her arms, she hugged a pillow close.

Del said nothing, just sat on the bed and pulled her boots off, before scooting up on the mattress beside her. At her touch, Liara abandoned the pillow and turned, clinging on to her love just as tightly, the tears renewing.

Shepard held her close, closing her eyes and letting her own tears fall.


	74. Chapter 74

Shepard walked along beside the sealed stretcher as it emerged from the lift and crossed the cargo bay. Four quarians, two of them doctors, had shuttled aboard the _Normandy_ less than fifteen minutes before to transfer Tali into their care.

The stretcher, more or less a transparent isolation box on wheels, reminded Del far too closely of a casket, and she kept having to forcefully push such imagery out of her mind.

Tali, though still incredibly sick and weak, had regained some level of consciousness. As the medics started to load the casket onto the shuttle, her hand pressed against the smooth side. They paused, one leaning close as he activated the small intercom that allowed communication between the girl and the outside world.

He nodded, then gestured at Del. "Captain, she wishes to speak to you. Please be brief."

Taking his position, Del managed to smile as she saw those weary luminescent eyes fix on her. "Hey, I'm here."

"I wanted you to know, I would have fought with you until the end," Tali said, her voice a soft rasp.

"I know you would have, Mei Mei. Don't worry about that right now. You just concentrate on getting better. There's a house on Rannoch with your name on it."

"Thanks to you. Del, I can never repay you for-"

"You go and get better, and you build that house. That's all the thanks I ever want or need. Don't you worry about me. I'll see you again."

Tali lifted her good hand again, pressing it against the smooth plastic. Del mirrored her action. "Keelah selai, Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch."

"Keelah selai, Captain Shepard. Fight the way only you can."

Del smiled, then nodded. Dropping her hand, she stepped back as they guided the stretcher onto the shuttle and got it plugged in.

"You keep me updated on her, you hear?"

"Of course, Captain," said the lead doctor. "You'll be the first to hear any news."

Shepard stepped back to allow the shuttle door to close. Though she knew she was delivering Tali into much better care, some deep and devilish part of her gut was telling her that she was never going to see the quarian again.

She headed up to the mess, hoping to wrangle up a cup of coffee before she tackled the day's reports. There she found Yoh, Razi, and the young Anaida. She nodded politely to them, then moved toward the counter and the waiting urn. As she poured her coffee, she felt a tug on her tunic, and looked over. Anaida stood bashfully at her side, a small data pad in hand. Shepard gave her a smile, then crouched to be more on eye-level.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I drew a picture for you. I wanted to draw it on paper but there isn't any."

She turned the data pad around, displaying an electronic sketch. A crude figure in a black and red approximation of Del's N7 hard-suit was holding the hand of a little asari. To the other side of the image, there was a black and gray mad scribble.

"That's very nice," Del smiled, then pointed at the figures. "That's you and me?"

"Uh huh."

"And what's this?" she asked, pointing at the scribble.

"That's the statue going _boom_!"

"I see! That's very good, sweetheart."

The girl seemed to deflate a little bit. "I wanted to give it to you but there was no paper."

"Well, now, let me show you something, ok?"

Del activated her omni-tool and networked it to the data pad, transferring a copy of the picture over. She then displayed it on her omni-tool and showed the child. "There, you see? Now I have it and can look at any time."

Anaida looked pleased with this, then caught sight of something as Del turned her omni-tool off. Reaching out, she gently caught the human's arm and turned it. Her tiny blue fingers brushed over the tattoo on the inside of Shepard's wrist.

"This is pretty," she said.

"Thank you," Del replied.

"What does it mean?"

"It's the name of someone I love very much," Del told her. "Someone very important to me."

"And you have it there so you can look at it any time too?"

"Yes, that's exactly right."

Glancing over from her conversation with Yoh, Razi noticed Del and Anaida conversing. Rising, she moved over to the pair, lightly touching the young girl on top of her crest. "Darling, I'm sure Captain Shepard has a lot of work to do…"

"Oh, she's no bother," Del said, straightening. "She was showing me the picture she drew."

"Well, I thank you for your patience, Captain. _And_ for your timely rescue. I am grateful to you and your crew for showing up when you did."

"I just wish we could have gotten there sooner. Saved more lives."

"Yes. It was…such callous destruction, such disregard for life."

"I think you just defined both the Reapers and Cerberus quite nicely," Del said. "I did have a question, however- and excuse me if it's rude or impertinent- but it struck me as odd. Why did the High Priestess and the others not defend themselves with biotics?"

"Your question is not impertinent, Captain…though the answer is a sad one. It is extremely uncommon, but not impossible, for an asari to be born with no biotic gifts whatsoever. Biotics are so essential to our identities, to our culture, that to be born without such gifts brings with it a certain…_scorn_, a stigmata. Most such asari choose to devote themselves to Athame, giving their lives purpose and respect. While sometimes, an asari who does have biotics seeks to join the Priesthood, they take a vow to forsake their biotics upon admission, and never use their gifts again, in deference to their Sisters. Those who passed on in the Temple, including the High Priestess, were all born without biotics. As was I, and as was little Anaida here."

"I see." Del had never heard of an asari without biotics. It surprised her. "Is there somewhere you two can go? We're heading back to the Citadel, and I'll be more than happy to make any necessary arrangements."

"Thank you, Captain. The Citadel will be just fine. There is a small temple there where we will be welcomed."

"Until then, we'll make you two as comfortable as possible. If you need anything, you only need to ask."

"I will indeed, Captain."

Looking at Anaida again, Del smiled. "Thank you for the beautiful picture. I will think of you every time I look at it."

The girl smiled bashfully, and Razi took her hand. "You are a good woman, Captain. Your children are lucky to have you as a parent."

"Oh, thanks but…I don't have any children."

"That they are not yet born, does not make them any less yours," she said. Del lifted her brows a bit, then nodded.

"Yes well…thank you."

As Razi returned to her seat with Anaida, the child giving Del a little wave (which was of course returned), Shepard took her coffee and headed toward Liara's room. Within, she found the hollow-eyed asari working at her consoles, a line of exhausted concentration between her brows.

Deirdre was asleep at the other end of the room, curled up on Liara's bed. Given that her Tianlán spent her nights in the Nest anyway, surrendering her XO bed to Dees meant that she didn't have to sleep in a pod like most of the crew.

"Hey," Shepard said softly, mindful that Navis was asleep. She set the coffee down and rested her hand on Liara's shoulder. "You ok?"

"I am…better. I have been concentrating on work, using my network to arrange aid and help organize refugee centers for colonial asari and those fortunate enough to make it off Thessia."

"Good. They need that help."

"Yes. And I need to help them."

Del bent, kissing the top of her head affectionately before glancing over at the bed. "Dees ok?"

"She is doing well, though she is as troubled as I at the attack on our home world. I think I convinced her to remain on the Citadel once we arrive. She was determined to join us in battle again."

"Well, I'm glad you-"

She broke off as something flashed urgently on one of Liara's numerous screens. The asari saw it too, selecting it and drawing it forward. "It is a priority one communication from a private indi-trans…it is Miranda's signature."

"Not good news if she's trying to reach us over the network rather than just calling the QEC."

"She has sent it text only as well, no voice." She drew up the message and displayed it on the big screen. It read:

_Shepard, need help. Father has Oriana, and has taken her to Sanctuary. Hired private transport and am on my way there now. Hidden records suggest Sanctuary may not be what it seems. Please come if at all possible. Miranda._

"Thousands of refugees have been flocking to Sanctuary since the initial attacks on Earth and Palaven," Liara said. "If it is not what it seems-"

"Looks like we won't be hitting the Citadel after all. Meet me in the CIC."

She turned and strode out, waiting until the door had shut before calling out. "Joker! Course change to Horizon and put the pedal down. We have a serious situation on our hands."

_{Yes ma'am. Correcting to Horizon.}_

Del's scowl was permanently affixed by the time she stepped into the lift. If Sanctuary was a ruse, and if Henry Lawson had brought his daughter there, then Del would bet her eye teeth that Cerberus was involved.

_A steady infusion of desperate refugees, walking blindly right into the Illusive Man's hands? Yeah…this is going to be __**bad**__._

* * *

The display lit up obediently at the touch of Del's fingertips, the pale blue light reflecting off her helmet. A cheerful, genteel voice began to greet her and she quickly cut it off, pulling up administration files. "Looks like they were keeping a fairly accurate count, at any rate," she said. "Everyone who came in this place passed by this desk."

"And never emerged again," Liara said softly, looking around. The wide gathering hall was spacious and peacefully decorated, with potted trees and ferns, artwork, and several seating areas. Despite the welcoming nature of the décor, and the large numbers of refugees as denoted by the computer, there was not a soul to be seen.

As Del downloaded the files, the genteel voice piped up again from above, replaying a recycled message that had already grown painfully irritating to Shepard and her crew.

_Welcome to Sanctuary! Please form orderly lines and you will be checked in promptly. After a medical scan, you will be able to have a hot meal and to contact loved ones. The names of those already received by our facility are available for perusal. Please be patient, and rest assured knowing that you are in a safe place._

_{Is there any way we can stop that? It's like nails on a chalkboard at this point, Skipper.}_

"Yeah, one sec Ash. I think I can kill the fucking thing."

Unsure of what they were going to find at Sanctuary, and keeping in mind the sheer size of the place, Del had three full teams dirt-side. She was in charge of Alpha, which consisted of Liara, EDI, and herself. Garrus had Beta, with Vega, Riot, and Kasumi. Ashley headed up Charlie team, with Wilcher, Yoh, and Ensign Copeland. Dees had tried to insist on coming along as well, but both Del and Liara had put their foots down firmly, Del throwing in a threat to give Navis brig-time if she kept pushing it.

Upon entry to the complex, Ash had taken her team to the east, Garrus and his group to the west, while Del kept on through the center.

Finding the announcement protocols, Del shut the repetitive voice off, and nodded. "All right, that should be done with that. Teams, keep moving carefully. One room at a time, people, and be ready for anything.

_{Captain, Wilcher. We're getting some strange sounds over here. Sounds like…crying.}_

"Civilians?"

_{Possibly. It's faint and hard to make out. Seems to be coming from the center section, along your path. We're getting an echo through the duct ways.}_

Shepard headed forward, closing her omni-tool. "EDI?"

"I believe I am picking up what Mr. Wilcher is referencing."

"Can you reproduce?"

"One moment." There was a pause, then she opened her mouth again. A sobbing wail, a sound of mindless agony and confusion, poured from her mouth. Del grimaced, then nodded.

"Ok, enough of that. Can you tell where it is coming from?"

"Down the main hall, second door to the right."

"All right. Wilcher, we got a fix on that sound. We're going to investigate. Keep your channels open."

_{Aye ma'am.}_

As they approached the door, Del could hear the sound herself now, muffled and soft but definitely there. EDI hacked the door, Del and Liara ready with weapons up the moment it opened.

Dim light greeted them, rippling and dancing shadows across the wall. It took Shepard a moment to realize the lights reflecting off of nutrient and isolation tanks that lined the far wall. As most of the room remained in shadow, she switched on her infrared, carefully scanning around.

Several bio beds, complete with straps, lined each wall. Their pads were stained with various fluids, and more than one was torn and leaking foam. Medical equipment was battered around, glass shards scattered over the floor, half-swamped with unidentifiable substances.

The thick, wailing groan of pain repeated, and as she turned she heard Liara's horrified gasp.

"By the _Goddess_!"

Half a man lay on one of the far bio-beds, his wrists strapped firmly to his sides. From the waist down, his body was lost in a gnarl of putrescent and gangrenous flesh. His torso and face were horribly mangled and disfigured, lined heavily with tech that glimmered both above and below his flesh in that same, sickly green that denoted the Tide.

Del grit her teeth against the rising gorge of her stomach, edging closer to the man. His expression was mindless misery, no intelligence left in his eyes. Cables emerged from the back of his skull and vanished into some bank of equipment. Something moved in the ruins of his gut, and when she looked she saw tendrils of silicone and metal writhing like drunk snakes- clearly disconnected implants.

"This is _barbaric_," Liara said with a breathy hiss. "How could any thinking or feeling creature do this to another?"

"You're confusing the Illusive Man with a thinking, feeling creature," Del said.

The poor bastard groaned again, straining faintly against his binds. Face set, Del lifted her rifle to her shoulder and with a quick burst of shot, put the thing out of its misery. Lowering her gun, she gestured at an equipment bank.

"EDI, see if you can't access that medical computer there. There might be records regarding what the fuck they thought they were doing to this poor soul."

As EDI accessed the computer, Liara reached out and gently turned the ruins of the man's head. "These bio-electric threads are identical to the ones we saw on Inna," she said. "It is my guess that the Illusive Man was experimenting with implanted tech, to make her thralls more obedient."

"Maybe, but this seems like incredibly crude work. The direct nanite feed that indoctrinated Udina and the others didn't leave results like this. This seems like it's…_backwards_ a step or two."

"From what I am able to glean from the few records left in this computer, he was not attempting to make thralls. He was attempting to improve upon or even replace Shiva after she went rogue. According to these files, various genetic and cybernetic experimentation was performed on over one thousand human and turian individuals."

"Goddess!"

"So he was using the refugees for his experimentation? Just when I thought the fucker couldn't get any _more_ insane-"

"If my conclusions are correct, Captain…there are several dragon's teeth and samples of Reaper tech scattered throughout this complex. Likely, he was observing the direct indoctrination of individuals using the Reaper methods, and then attempting to duplicate it with his own."

"Shepard, the reason Inna was successful and these other experiments have apparently failed, is because he had years to work with your DNA intimately, and apply what he learned to Inna," Liara said. "Attempting to apply the same procedures to those who do not share your DNA would most literally be starting over at the beginning again. However, there is another source of DNA that he has mapped down to the smallest allele, a source that would give him a far greater chance of success. Miranda Lawson's."

"And Miranda's is more or less identical to Oriana's. By securing Oriana, he knew Miranda would come as well-she'd do anything to protect her sister. And just like that, he'd have two ideal candidates to become the next Shiva."

"My thoughts precisely."

"We can't waste any more time." Del turned toward the door, touching her radio. "Crew! Top priority is to locate-!"

_{Shepard, this is Miranda.}_

"_Miranda_? What's your status and location?"

_{I'm on the second level and heading downward. There are husks and…and abominations everywhere, Shepard. I'm managing to slip through some but its slow going. My father is in the labs on the lowest level. He has Oriana with him, and a squad of Cerberus soldiers.}_

"Can you find a shady spot and stay put until we reach you?"

_{I can't, Shepard. I have to get to Oriana-}_

"You're not going to do her or yourself any good if you get killed before we get there, Miranda. Just hang tight and let us-"

_{I can't wait, Shepard. Just hurry.}_

The communication went dead, and Shepard let out a stream of Chinese profanity that would have made a nine hundred year old krogan whore blush. Switching back to her teams she ordered, "Move fast and hard, people! Miranda and Oriana are going to be on the lower levels. Eliminate all hostiles with extreme prejudice!"

YYY

It was like a nightmare in the flesh, an endless wave of monstrosity that crashed upon them time and time again. Beyond just the normal husks and deformed yet functional Tide thralls, there were things that weren't even recognizable as having once been human…or any _other_ sentient creature. Del did not believe in such a place, but she could almost imagine that the Illusive Man had opened the depths of the most depraved pit of Hell and taken all its imps for his own.

_So many innocent lives, people coming here thinking they were going to find safety and instead…this_. Del hadn't thought her fury with the Illusive Man could burn any hotter, but she'd been wrong. He claimed to stand for humanity but _this_ place…this place was nothing but a horrible insult to everything that had ever been human.

Another thermal clip fell to the ground at her feet, white hot and smoking. Her boots crushed through torn flesh and blood as she moved forward. From above, another pair of gaping mouths dropped, drooling blood and puss, atrophied bodies twisted around and distorted with gangly arms, disjointed legs. She fired directly into the mouths as Liara knocked them backward, the rush of biotics snapping as brightly as a camera-flash.

They dropped, ruined and still, and Del scanned around quickly. "That's it for this room," she said at last, panting a bit. "EDI, get the door. Crew, _report_!"

Ashley was first. _{We're pushing hard, nearly to the rendezvous!}_

"Garrus! Status!"

_{We're nearly there, Shepard. Got hung up a bit with a couple of brutes. Seems humans and turians weren't the only ones to come here for refuge. ETA to the rendezvous, about four minutes.}_

"Ok, we're nearly there ourselves. Shepard out!"

They reached the lower level, entering a vast room that could have fit the _Normandy_ within it. At the far end and above them, she could see a set of broad windows, and to either side of her there were massive doors.

_It's a hanger_, she thought distantly, fixing her eyes instead to the windows. _That has to be the lab where Lawson is holing up._

Ashley and her team arrived next, only seconds later, their pads scuffed and stained with various ichor, but with no serious injuries. Bravo team appeared almost on their heels.

Shepard gestured at them to flank the staircase leading to the lab on the far wall, when suddenly the windows above them flashed with light. The rough slam of gunshots echoed after, then the shattering of glass as a wild shot broke through into the hanger. Del broke into a run, crossing the hanger floor and taking the steps two at a time. The gunfire had halted by the time she reached the door. It was half-jammed, gaping open a good foot or two. Crouching, she waved Liara down on the other side and cautiously peered within.

A pair of dead Cerberus lay sprawled on the floor nearby. A trolley with various medical tools on it and a counter blocked most of her vision. Gesturing at Liara and the others, she worked the door open a little further and slipped through, staying behind the counter as cover. Liara and Ash both followed, weapons in hand, not making a sound.

"Let her _go_, Father!" Miranda's voice, as firm and commanding as it had always been. Del shifted past a dead soldier, finally getting her first real look at the situation.

A man in a sharp suit, hair going gray in fashionable patches at his temples, stood in front of the huge windows. His arm was wrapped around Oriana's shoulders, using the girl as both hostage and shield. He had a pistol in his hand, pointed at her head.

Miranda, also armed, was half leaning against one counter. Her pistol was aimed at the gentleman's forehead but it was wavering slightly. Her free hand was plastered over her stomach, and Del caught sight of tiny pats of crimson dripping at her feet.

Pulling back, she met Liara's eyes, and gestured around the counter, indicating what she wanted the biotic to do. Then she eased her rifle back into her weapons pack, silently drawing her sniper.

"Just turn around and walk away, Miri," Lawson said. "This is over. I'm taking Ori and leaving."

"_Over my dead body_!"

"If that's the way you want it I'll be happy to oblige. You always _were_ a disappointment. I gave you everything and to show your gratitude you run away and take your baby sister with you-"

"You're a careless, unfeeling _monster_! Even if I didn't know that before, seeing these people…what you did to _these people_-!"

Del set her scope, focusing until every line of Lawson's face jumped into crystal clarity. Edging her crosshairs slightly, she traced the slope of his cheek past Oriana's frightened eyes, and focused right on his temple. She could see the small vein there throbbing with his agitation.

"They were lesser than we are, Miri! Imperfect, leeching, mindless sheep! They should be _honored_ to have been part of something greater, something that will launch humanity a thousand years into the future! Ori will be the new-"

He broke off as Del pulled the trigger, the faint snap of the rifle lost in the puff of blood that burst out of the far side of his skull. At the same instant, Liara had wrapped Oriana in a biotic field, pulling her aside and away from her father and shielding her from the reflexive squeeze of his own trigger.

The biotics vanished, Oriana gaping and then surging forward, rushing to her sister's side as Del and the others stood up and headed forward.

"Miri!"

Miranda dropped her pistol, hugging her sister awkwardly as her knees buckled. Oriana tried to catch her as she dropped into a sit, then looked at Del with tearful eyes.

"Nice shot," Miranda said with a faint smile as Del crouched in front of her, hauling off her helmet and accepting a medi-gel pack from Ashley.

"I do my best. Let me see."

She edged Miranda's hand off the wound, eyeing it critically before sealing it with the medi-gel.

"Is she going to be ok?" Oriana asked.

"I'm no doctor, but I've seen worse. Your sister's tough. She'll be all right."

As the others gathered in the room, EDI gravitating toward the computer banks, Miranda lifted a brow. "Brought the whole crew I see."

"Yeah, big damn reunion, just for you," Del said with a lopsided smirk. "You should have waited for us."

"If I'd waited, that bastard would be gone now…_with_ Oriana."

"Why did he bring her here? Why not directly to the Illusive Man?"

"Probably because he doesn't know where the Illusive Man is," Miranda said, grimacing as she shifted a little. Del stilled her with a hand on her shoulder. "He was waiting for instructions, and he came here to retrieve some data-"

"Shepard." EDI turned her head. "It appears some data files are missing, but there is enough remaining to confirm my former hypothesis. I believe the Illusive Man was attempting to recreate Shiva with improved modeling."

"Yes," Miranda said. "He wanted to use Ori to make the new Shiva. I don't know what data they managed to clear off of those servers but several of the soldiers managed to depart with it."

"Whatever it is, I know the one place I don't want it to be is in that bastard's hands. He's already got the data we need to finish the Crucible. I think it's about time he finally paid for his crimes, don't you?"

"We're still in a tight spot, aren't we?" Kasumi asked. "If it was so easy to find the Illusive Man someone would have done so by now."

"Yeah, but Miranda here was one of his top agents. She must know where his base is," Ashley said.

"Do you?" Del asked, looking at Miranda.

"I've been aboard it before, of course," Miranda told her. "But it's not so easy as all that. If it was, I would have killed him myself by now. The base is large and protected by a fleet…but it is also mobile. He keeps shifting it around as necessary. He likes to stick to questionable regions of space, places people tend to avoid- near pulsars, red giants about to go nova, those kinds of places."

"You think with Liara's help you can find it?"

Miranda looked at the asari, and smiled. "I think with Blue's help, the Illusive Man better start praying to whatever God it is he believes in."

Del grinned.


	75. Chapter 75

_Hope can drown_

_Lost in thunderous sound_

_And fear can claim_

_What little thing remains_

_But I carry strength from souls now gone_

_They won't let me give in…_

_~Malukah_

* * *

"And Lawson is confident she can locate the Illusive Man's base?"

Del's dark eyes reflected back the hologramatic forms of both Hackett and Anderson as she grimly nodded. "She and Liara are working on that matter as we speak. Both assure me we'll have a location in hand within hours."

"Sanctuary being what it was, do you think that he will succeed in recreating Project Shiva if he's left unchecked?" Anderson asked.

"No," Del said firmly. "I think if he were to try, without myself or either of the Lawsons as focal points, it would take him nearly ten years to recreate what Shiva was. To be honest, however, I think the man has lost all rational sense of reason. He was dangerous enough before- now he's dangerous and outside the realm of any predictability. We don't know the nature of the data he took from Sanctuary, and he's not going to stop at anything to get what he wants. Some of the abominations we encountered at Sanctuary were engineered by him, _not_ the Reapers- and they were deadly despite their grotesque forms. We'll see more and more of them if he has his way."

"Even without this new information, he has the data we need on the power source and catalyst program for the Crucible. The project is finished, but it's utterly useless without that intelligence," Hackett said. "Our top priority now has to be locating that base and retrieving that data."

"Locating the base station is just a matter of time," Del said. "Getting aboard it is going to be an entirely different beast. Miranda has indicated that the station is always guarded by a respectable fleet, and he is more than aware of _Normandy_'s stealth capabilities. We won't be able to sneak in. My ship is good, Admirals, but even she can't take on an entire fleet by herself. I need ships."

"Committing ships from the gathering fleets to assault the Illusive Man is going to divide and weaken our resources," Anderson said.

"Unfortunately, yes- but I don't see we have any other choice," Hackett said, then scratched his chin.

"Give me the Turian Nova Fleet," Shepard said. "That's twenty ships built for heavy combat. If they can go in and distract the Cerberus fleets, I can get aboard the station with a full strike team. We'll get the data, rig the station to blow if we can, and get out. We'll take some casualties, but the Nova Fleet is best equipped for this situation."

"Agreed," Hackett said. "Take Nova and Thanatos. They have some solid ships and have been itching for combat. I'll have Admiral Teggut from Nova contact you immediately for rendezvous instructions."

Del nodded. "I'll have Wilcher coordinate with Thanatos. Thank you sir."

Anderson looked at her. "The moment you have the data in hand, forward it for analysis and await further orders. Depending on what it reveals, your next destination may be Earth and ending this goddamn war."

"I sure as hell hope so," she said.

"Keep us briefed, Del. Hackett out."

He faded away, and Anderson nodded. "Good luck, Del. If anyone can pull this off, it's you."

"Thank you, sir."

He smirked. "I may still outrank you, but that doesn't give you clearance to go all formal on me, Shepard. Besides, I fully expect you'll be goddamn Fleet Master once this mess is finally done with."

"Fuck, I sure _hope_ not!" she said. "Flying a goddamn desk, expected to attend every ceremony from Earth to Jump Zero…I'll pass, thanks."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I can't see you behind a desk either- unless you were about to throw it at someone, at any rate." He saluted. "Here's hoping we both live to find out."

She returned the salute. "You just keep your ass safe, Anderson. Sanders will be pissed if anything happens to it."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Take care of yourself, Shepard. Kick that bastard's ass, for _all_ of us."

"Yes, sir."

His image faded and Del let out a breath before turning and walking out of the QEC.

* * *

Standing at the main console in the war room, Del called up the latest reports. Sur'Kesh had finally come under Reaper attack as well, horribly. The salarians had kept most of their battle-ready ships back, securing the solar system's borders, and the Reapers had cut through them like butter. In only a matter of hours, their navy was cut down to a third of its former self, and the systematic destruction of their capital cities had started. Del could taste sour bile in the back of her throat, thinking of how Dalatrass Linron had withdrawn all salarian support, simply because she thought the krogan should stay neutered. While Del had later been contacted by salarian STG commanders and Spectres who assured her that Linron didn't speak for _all_ salarians, it was the Dalatrass's direct actions that had resulted in this horror. Her people were paying the price for her pride.

More than that, it felt like an insult to Mordin Solus, a betrayal by the very people who should have been most supportive.

_I'm so sorry, my friend. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop this from happening._

Thessia was all but a complete loss. A few evacuees had made it off-world but thanks to Del's recommendation to keep their fleets back rather than throwing them at the Reapers, millions of asari and millennia of culture were being eradicated. She remembered the look in Liara's eyes, and felt the weight of every one of those deaths.

Her brows knit as she caught sight of a couple of reports on Palaven and Earth. It seemed that Sovereign-class Reapers had actually _stopped_ attacking, and had messaged the hierarchy on both worlds, inviting representatives on board for peace negotiations. Del saw through the ruse immediately- any delegates or leaders who obeyed such an order would be indoctrinated, making the Reapers' slaughter all the easier.

Fortunately, the turians _also_ saw through the ruse. They did indeed send several delegates…each one carrying explosives. Knowing the Reapers would likely scan for high-tech devices such as eezo-bombs and pocket nukes, the turians had relied on simple TNT and C4, and they had been admitted onboard without challenge.

Their brave suicide effort resulted in the death of the Reaper that they boarded, the explosions setting off a chain reaction that eventually compromised its own eezo core. The Earth delegates were preparing the same tactic when 'word' of the ruse seemed to reach the Reaper they were due to board. The Reaper closed off and departed before the scheduled time, simply resuming its work in wiping out the cities.

_This needs to __**end**__._

"Captain, communication from Dr. T'Soni," EDI reported. Del swept away the reports and accessed the flashing indication, Liara's face appearing on her display.

"Give me good news," she said.

"We have found it," Liara told her, sending a file to Del's terminal. Opened, it displayed a red giant star system, the station and fleets surrounding it tiny white dots. "The Illusive Man's station is located in orbit around Anadius in the Horsehead Nebula. As Miranda supposed, it is a red giant system with high masking levels of radiation. I had to clear through a significant amount of noise to verify it was there. The Illusive Man must have specific communication and tactic protocols that factor for the noise and allow him to contact his people."

"Will we be hindered in communication when we get there?" Del asked.

"It is a fourteen hour flight from our current location. In that time, with EDI's help, we can easily solidify our own protocols to compensate for the radiation."

"Do it. The turians' Nova fleet and Thanatos are going to rendezvous with us and hit those ships guarding the station. Once you have the protocols in place, contact them and pass them along so they can make the appropriate adjustments. EDI, can you clean this up a little, calculate just how big that fleet is?"

"One moment," EDI replied, the graphic fuzzing a little before clarifying. "Concluded. From my count, there are twenty Cerberus vessels- five cruiser class, fifteen frigates. None are on par with the _Normandy_ in weapons or shielding but they are comparable to typical Alliance vessels of the same design."

_It will definitely be a battle, but Nova and Thanatos are more than capable of handling that level of threat. _

"EDI, send rendezvous coordinates to Nova and Thanatos. We'll meet them at the Pho relay. That will give us over two hours of FTL to Anadius but it's far less likely the Illusive Man will have that relay under surveillance."

"Yes, Shepard."

Del opened a ship-wide comm, clearing her throat. "Ladies and gentleman, this is Captain Shepard speaking. As of this moment we are engaged in a cooperative effort with the turian Nova fleet and Thanatos. The Illusive Man's base has been located, and our objective will be to board it and retrieve vital data needed to complete Project: Crucible. We will be arriving at the Pho relay in about twelve hours, and will engage with Cerberus forces in fourteen hours. All priority one preparations should be made and consider us on full alert from this moment forward. To all civilians currently on board: my apologies. It seems you will be with us a while longer. Joker, get us on course for the Pho relay and start the clock. Shepard out."

* * *

Del sat on the small sofa in the living area of the Nest, a glass of watered whiskey in one hand, a smoldering cigar in the other. The whiskey was watered because Del was almost desperate to get good and shit-faced, which right now was an incredibly _bad_ idea. Storming the Illusive Man's base half-drunk or hung-over was just asking for disaster.

Besides, she wanted to be clear. When she looked into that fucker's synthetic eyes and put an end to his bullshit once and for all, she wanted to be _clear_.

On the table in front of her, the small virtual chess board shimmered patiently, waiting her next move. Narrowing her eyes, she considered a moment, then moved her knight.

She was playing against the board's own VI, but at times she could almost imagine a slim brown hand was going to reach out and shift the pieces.

Traynor. A sweet girl who had been thrust out of her safe R&D duties and onto the front-lines of the biggest and most desperate war humanity had ever faced. Gone far before her time, her face now haunted Shepard's mind, along with Syd's, Mordin's, Thane's, Ori's, Kaidan's…

Paul's framed drawing sat beside the chess board, the cheerful crayon sketch hiding the names of those she had failed. She could feel their eyes upon her as if they were there in the room.

Ashing her cigar, she lifted her whiskey in salute. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up. Not now, not fucking _ever_. Cheers."

As she downed a swallow, the VI made its next chess move, the board suddenly flashing as it cheerfully announced "Checkmate! Checkmate!"

"Oh, _son of a __**bitch**_!" She slapped the the glass back down on the table, scowling at the board. "That should have worked!"

"You cannot apply interstellar battlefield tactics to chess, Shepard."

Del looked up, unsurprised to see Liara standing on her steps, regarding her with some weary amusement.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Reaching out, she moodily reset the board as Liara stepped into the living area, moving over to sit on the sofa as well. "Where'd _you_ learn about chess?"

"It is remarkably similar to an asari game called 'rakto'," Liara explained. "When humans emerged on the galactic scene and were first invited to set foot on the Citadel, Admiral James Kohan presented Tevos with a set. It became quite popular for a time among the asari…even those of us sequestered in lonely, dusty ruins."

Del set the board for two players, gesturing to Liara. "I may be setting myself up for humiliation here but…"

Liara smiled, then pondered a moment before making the opening move. As Del concentrated on the board, the asari regarded her. "I have some additional information that we were able to dig up, regarding the Illusive Man. I am not certain how useful it will be, we were unable to verify it."

"What is it?" Del asked, making her first move.

"There are traces…echoes, really, just hints- but it seems we were not the only ones searching for his Cronos Station."

"Not surprising," Del said. "Man like him has enemies from here to Alpha Centauri."

"True. However, we do not know the nature of this other seeker. If they were to discover its location and arrive at Cronos before or in proximity to us-"

"Then we have help taking him down…or another skull to put a bullet in."

"You sound so cavalier."

"Well, you don't know who it is, have no verifiable information. I can't do anything about it right now. We're _already_ working with dozens of unknowns, this is just one more. If it helps us, great. If it stands in our way, we punch a goddamn hole through it and keep on."

Liara smiled faintly. "Such tactics have worked for you so far," she said with gentle teasing. Del smirked at her.

"Exactly. I see no reason to change."

"Alas, such tactics do not afford you an advantage at chess. Checkmate."

"_Son of a __**bitch**__!"_

* * *

An hour later, Li and Del lay side-by-side on Shepard's bed. Wearing her usual yoga pants and a tank, Del's fingers were entwined with Liara's, their eyes fixed on the stars just outside the roof-top observation window.

"Would it be cowardly of me to admit that I am afraid?" Liara asked.

"I'd be more worried about you if you _weren't_ afraid, Tianlán."

"Are you?"

Del sat up, brushing a hand back through her hair. "Yeah," she said as Liara sat up beside her, a slim blue hand lightly stroking her back. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid, and I'm angry, and I'm _tired_."

"It has been insane, this war. No matter the outcome, Shepard, you have done more than anyone else could have. You have done the impossible."

At Del's skeptical look, she clarified. "You united an entire galaxy. You earned your people a seat on the Council, something some other species have been trying to do for thousands of years. You have the krogan working with the turians, the quarians with the geth. You have brought the rachni into the galactic community. You have assembled fleet after fleet- it astounds even me, and I have been along for the ride."

"What if it's not enough?"

"Then I have no idea what _would_ be."

Del was silent, and after a moment, Liara leaned on her, winding her arms around Shepard's waist and leaning her head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I haven't given you the life that you wanted," Shepard said, tilting her head to rest on Liara's. "A house on a garden world, the sound of the sea. Lots of little blue children."

"I see it, sometimes," Liara said. "The sea grass, the sand. Your hand in mine. I imagine the way your face lights up when you hold our first daughter…"

Del gave a faint chuckle. "Yeah, chances are more likely it'd light up in terror that I'd _drop_ her." She turned her head a bit, kissing Liara's forehead. "I wish I could give you all of that."

"You will," Liara said, with a confidence that she didn't quite feel. "You will find a way through this, and we will have that peace."

Her words were in defiance of her own nightmares, dreams in which she lost Shepard to this war. They were in defiance to that heavy black shadow that seemed to loom closer and closer to them, an empty oblivion that threatened to swallow not only them, but everything around them.

Shepard hugged her. "I'd give it to you if I could," she whispered. "I'd give you _anything_, if I could, Tianlán."

Burying her face against Del's neck, breathing that autumn scent, Liara closed her eyes. "I love you, Del Shepard."

"I love you too, Liara."

Drawing back a little, Liara searched her eyes, before her lips drifted ever so softly across Shepard's. Her voice was little more than a needful breath.

"_Show me."_

* * *

_She refused to scream, teeth gritted in an almost animalistic sneer. Sweat slipped over her forehead, burning her eyes, muscles locked in frantic resistance. Cables, cool and oily, caressed the tops of her bare shoulders, slithering over her skin. Probing, seeking, the metal tips of the cables found tender flesh on the inside of her elbows, and drove in, slicing through muscle, driving through bone. _

_She let out another growling gasp, hauling against her binds._

"_Just pull your hand out, Shepard."_

_Twin lights, as cold as glacier ice, swam out of the dark. The Illusive Man stepped into view, his features thrown into sharp relief in the light of his eyes, and the red cherry of his cigarette._

_Del looked down, realizing her wrists were clamped, held immobile by meat-hooks._

"_Just pull your hand out," the Illusive Man said again, then chuckled. "Though it won't help you to save them."_

_Del began to strain on the cuffs, the sharp spikes sinking into her flesh, trying to hold her fast. Blood welled, spilling down her fingers, and still she hauled. More serpentine cables appeared, coiling over her torso before sinking into her belly with a white hot wrench of pain._

"_I knew you couldn't do it," her tormentor said. "You're too weak, too idealistic. You refuse to see the big picture, Del. That's why I have to change you."_

"_Fuck you!" Spittle and blood dripped from her lips and she started to pull again, the hooks driving deeper and deeper until she could feel them scraping, snagging on bone. _

"_You can't save them."_

"_Fuck you!"_

"_They are already ours."_

_In the shadows behind him, shuffling forms appeared. Listless, they moved as if they had no strength, as if they had to physically drag their bodies along. _

_Kaidan- his skin singed and blackened, dark, half-coagulated blood slipping like drool from their cracked ruin._

_Sydney- maggots writhing in her rotted, putrescent wound, the blank gaze of a corpse, the grey ashen flesh of a husk. _

_Mordin- a skeletal hand holding the looped coils of his gut, one eye naught but a gouged socket._

_Then more, and more of them. Nan, burned nearly beyond recognition. Garrus, half his skull sheered away. Grunt, pulling his heavy torso along, the ruins of his legs mangled behind him._

"_They are already ours, Shepard. You can't save them."_

_Through the tormented, undead ranks of her crew came a single figure. She stepped around the Illusive Man as if he weren't there, walking up to where Shepard hung suspended. _

"_Liara…Liara, please…I'm so sorry-"_

"_What's the matter?" Liara asked…_a cool hand lightly touching Del's face. Her eyes flew open, the Nest solidifying around her as she woke. Looking up into concerned sky blue eyes, she let out a breath.

A dream. Nothing but another goddamn nightmare.

"Are you all right?" Liara asked. Clearing her throat, Del lifted her hand and lightly touched her cheek, before shifting into a sit.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…dreams."

"Dreams?" Liara pressed gently, sitting up behind Del and lightly nuzzling against her neck.

"Yeah." Del didn't take the bait, her eyes shifting instead to her clock. "We should get up. We'll be at the rendezvous soon."

"Del-"

Shepard wiped a hand over her face, half turning to look at Liara. Something in her eyes must have told the asari not to press the matter, because Liara only shook her head, then leaned in and kissed her.

Their lips parted only after a long moment, their foreheads resting together. Shepard lifted a hand, cradling it on the back of Liara's neck for a moment, unspoken feelings passing between them.

Then Del kissed her one last time, briefly, and got to her feet. She tightened her hold on her emotions and screwed them down, putting them aside as the soldier in her once again took over. "C'mon. We need to get going. No rest for the wicked, and all that."

* * *

Like sharks moving through endless ebony seas, the fleet of ships closed in on the swollen, implacable red giant.

Wilcher had transferred over to the Thanatos flagship to direct their efforts. Garrus would remain in charge of the _Normandy_, leading the assembled fleet in their strike against the Cerberus vessels that were already closing in. Just before the first shot was fired, a shuttle dropped almost casually from the frigate's cargo bay, zeroing in on the floating station dubbed Cronos.

Miranda's wound had not proved life-threatening, but while she healed on a level almost on par with Del, she was not yet well enough to join the boarding party. Instead, she would be offering feedback from the infirmary, sharing 'headspace' with EDI's mobile platform.

Del stood in the entrance to the shuttle cockpit, fingers gripping the metal frame just above her helmet. Cortez carefully watched his ladar and scan readouts, tracking the now committed battle to make sure no shot or ship was heading their way.

EDI was seated in the copilot seat, working on finding the most optimum way into the station and seeking to infiltrate any security measures she could find.

Behind in the passenger area, Liara, Ashley, and Kasumi sat in silence.

"There is a shuttle docking bay to the starboard aft of the station," EDI said. "I believe that is our best point for access."

As Cortez directed the shuttle that way, Shepard turned and looked at the women behind her. "We're going to move steady once we get inside. Expect anything. EDI will be bringing down any security measures she can during infiltration but she also has to search for our missing data. Assume hostiles around every corner and keep sharp."

"I have the bay door open, Mr. Cortez," EDI reported. Del turned back around and gripped his shoulder.

"All right, this is it. Bring us in."


	76. Chapter 76

Almost as soon as the final boot hit the shuttle bay floor, Cortez was lifting off again, sliding back out into space. He would remain flanking the station, 'hiding' between it and the red giant. It would keep him out of sight of the battle, and he'd be available for a quick pick-up if they needed it. Staying docked was far too dangerous an option; without knowing what personnel or security measures were in effect within the station itself, Steve and the shuttle would be sitting ducks.

The bay itself was designed for fighters, large enough to house at least a dozen. Most of those seemed to have already launched, as only one or two in various states of repair remained within. On the interior wall, a heavily reinforced blast door sealed the rest of the station off from the bay.

"EDI, how long until they know we're here?" Del asked.

"Our presence will have been almost immediately detected. The interior security systems are on several isolated networks. I shall have to infiltrate each as we reach a connection point. I would expect a team is on its way to this bay now, to engage us and prevent our ent-"

She broke off as an alarm suddenly blared, a tinny voice speaking from somewhere near the ceiling.

"_Hostile forces have landed in fighter bay 3. Security doors are sealed, preparing for a full vent of the bay."_

"- or they may just seal the bay and vent us into space."

"Fuck! _Spread out, find us a computer link_! EDI, how much time have we got?"

"It is not standard procedure to vent a fighter bay. It will take them approximately-"

"_Two minutes to bay vent. Stand by."_

"- two minutes to-"

"Yeah, I _heard_ the man, EDI!"

Ashley, Liara, and Kasumi had already split up, spreading out and looking for any way to link into the computer system. Del hurried to the interior blast door, scanning it quickly.

"No linkup here!" Ash announced from the east.

"Negative for here!" Liara echoed a moment later.

"Shepard, all I have here are standard fighter launch controls."

Shepard turned and ran over to where Kasumi was standing at a small panel. "EDI, can you hack into the main systems from here?"

Edi stepped in, drawing up the schematic. "No. It does not link to the main network."

Del slapped the side of her fist into the wall, eyes fixing to the interior door, then to the exterior barrier. Behind the shimmering blue, the stars could be seen.

"_ETA to bay vent, one minute, five seconds."_

"EDI, what happens if we blow that interior door?" Del asked, shouldering past the synthetic and accessing the controls herself.

"We lack the ordinance to-"

"_What happens if we blow that interior door?_ Would they still be able to vent the bay?"

"Negative. The station's VI would automatically seal the exterior bay door to prevent explosive decompression of large areas of the station. They would not be able to override without repairs."

Shepard's fingers flew over the controls. The soft hum of machinery filled the air, and one of the clamped fighters was drawn by the bay's automatic taxi mechanism into the center of the floor.

"The weapon systems of these fighters are offline," EDI said.

"Don't need them," Del replied. As the fighter turned to face the interior door, Liara shook her head.

"Del, what are you going to do?"

"What I do best- _make big shit blow up_." She entered the last command with an authoritative jab of her finger, and the fighter's engine rumbled to life. "Get under cover!"

Gaining power, the fighter followed launch commands that Del had input, its engines swiftly firing to full velocity. The clamps, not designed to withstand the pressure, tore free of the deck and the fighter swept across the bay, aimed directly at the interior doors.

There was a huge explosion, rocking the entire bay. Smoking shards of metal and plastic skimmed over the polished floor. Del, ears ringing from the blast despite her helmet, looked up to see the exterior bay doors sliding shut.

"_Vent protocol halted, security measure 142. Unable to vent."_

The automated voice sounded muffled with cotton. Shaking her head and slapping the heel of her hand into her helmet once or twice, Del hurried over to survey the damage.

The fighter had torn through the interior doors and carved a path of smoldering wreckage and flaming debris nearly fifty feet long, ripping through two corridors before coming to rest in a larger space beyond.

"Shepard, is everything all right?" Miranda asked, her voice emerging from EDI's mouth.

"Yeah, just knocked on the Illusive Man's door. We're proceeding into the station."

"Be careful, Shepard. They'll make you fight for every inch."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from him."

Kasumi vanished under her cloak, moving into the gap first to scout out the situation ahead. Del, Liara, EDI, and Ashley proceeded more cautiously, weapons ready.

"It appears the fighter broke through into the upper engineering section for this flank of the station," EDI said.

"Too much further, Skipper, and you'd have breached the eezo core," Ashley teased. EDI took the quip seriously.

"Unlikely. The core itself is on a below deck and very well shielded. It would take a destructive power four times that of the fighter to penetrate that shielding and overload the core."

Ash started to reply, irritated, when Kasumi reappeared. "We got troops heading this way. They're rather pissed we let ourselves in."

The five took cover, and Del felt her blood pressure lowering, her breath slowing as she focused her Widow's crosshairs on the first helmet to pass into view.

Cerberus was going to make them work for it. The Illusive Man would throw everything he had at her, and that was just fine. It was the final, desperate act of a vicious animal now cornered, and Del was going to hang his fucking head as a trophy over her mantelpiece.

_I'll even buy a mantelpiece just so I can,_ she thought, pulling the trigger.

* * *

The asari moved like the predator she was, sliding through the dim corridors and smoky hallways, barely stirring air as she passed. For the last few minutes, she'd been hearing the distant rumble of gunfire. It made her blood rush faster, and she struggled not to get overexcited.

_Calm. You must stay calm. A blade in a steady hand is the one that makes the killing stroke._

Hearing voices ahead, she carefully edged forward, eyes glinting.

Four Cerberus troops were ahead, hastily setting up a defensive position. They were clearly hoping to form a choke-point that would give them an edge against the oncoming forces. The one that seemed to be in command was not wearing his helmet, and she could see the unnatural tech sunk into the side of his head, spraying silver lines over his skull. Half-necrotic skin was cracked around the points where the lines sunk deep into his flesh. What hair he had was matted with sweat, and he was barking orders as if he didn't care who heard them.

His team, engineers, were setting up turret guns as quickly as they could. Closer, another rumble of gunfire seemed to inflame the leader.

"That's goddamn Shepard coming down the hall, you _fucks_! You want her to force feed you your own spleens, or do you want to get those _goddamn guns working __**now**_?"

The asari stepped up behind him and snapped his neck.

As he collapsed, she took the pistol from his belt, and blew away the first engineer that looked her direction. The second had a little more time to react, whirling and reaching for his own gun before her shot shredded his throat.

The final man fired at her, the bullets flaring off her shields as she walked toward him, seeming unconcerned about the shots flying her way. She grabbed his extended wrist and twisted it. He howled, dropping his weapon as bone gave way under the wrench. In the same motion, she whirled and thrust her elbow into his neck, just below the edge of his helmet. He choked, hunching forward. Grabbing the back of his helmet, she shoved him forward onto the ground.

He made belching, croaking sounds as he half crawled, one hand to his neck, his head nearly dragging on the ground as he struggled to breathe around his ruined trachea. Ignoring him, the asari began to take apart the portable gun turrets they had been setting up.

Still struggling to get some air, the trooper got himself into a sit, hauling off his helmet. His already ashen gray skin was taking on a blue and purple tinge.

Finishing with the final gun, she turned and headed back down the corridor. As she stepped past the wounded man, she shot him in the forehead, never missing a step. He collapsed in a boneless heap as she vanished into the darkness.

* * *

Del flipped one of the limp troopers over with her foot, unloading another pair of shots into his shattered face-plate, insuring he was dead. As predicted, they had been hard-pressed for every inch of ground, and according to EDI, it was not actually a bid to stop them…just delay them.

"For what?" Del had asked.

"I do not know, Captain. However, if they were truly attempting to halt us, they would simply wait until we reached the larger lab, and then hit us with everything at once. There is room there even for heavy Atlas use. These small blockades make no logical sense unless their hope is simply to slow us down."

This hardly sat well with Shepard. It was one thing to corner the Illusive Man in his base…the idea that he was waiting for them, even _expecting_ them, changed all the odds.

_We can't turn back now…trap or not, we're committed._

"Shepard?"

Kasumi's voice drew her attention, and she stepped over the dead man as the thief headed her way, looking concerned.

"Another blockade?"

"Yes, but…they're all dead."

"What?"

"There are four Cerberus troopers just ahead, about thirty meters. It looks like they were setting up a choke point, but they're all dead."

Del's disquiet increased, her gut now sending out full blown warnings as they carefully moved ahead. Just as Kasumi had indicated, four slaughtered men lay amongst the remains of turret guns and some shield-panels.

Crouching over one, Del looked from the fatal hole in his forehead to the dark mark on his throat. Liara shook her head, her eyes fixed on another who's head was canted at an angle.

"They were executed."

"Someone on our side?" Ash asked.

"Then why didn't they make themselves known?" Del asked. "Seems those 'echoes' you and Miranda found of someone else trying to find this place were accurate, Li. I'd bet my Widow that very 'someone' slaughtered these men."

"As we did not encounter them, it is logical to assume they are heading along the same path we are," EDI said. "This choke point was intended to guard the larger lab. We may find more information in there."

"Agreed, but keep frosty. We don't know who we're dealing with, or even how many. Could be an entire platoon or a single assassin. Expect _anything_. EDI, inform Cortez of the situation. If he can, I need him to scan the exterior of the station. See if there are any ships or transports connected via an external lock to Cronos. If he spots one I can sure use an ID or point of origin."

"I will do so, Shepard. I should also be able to access the second network once we are in the lab. It may show us a breech or recent docking procedure that may indicate who else is here beside us and Cerberus."

"Guess it's too much to hope we'll get security camera access?" Ash asked.

"I will attempt it, but it is highly unlikely. Interior security cameras are also on a stand-alone network, accessible only at certain points by those in authority or security personnel."

They continued on, moving over the thirty meters between the assassinated Cerberus men and the main lab with as much precaution as if they were crossing a mine field. That the lab door was standing open when they reached it did nothing to soothe Shepard's tension.

The lab was a large, two story affair, clustered with cutting edge technical and medical equipment of the likes Dr. Chakwas and even Tali had likely never before seen. Moving as fast as caution allowed, they swept the room, ensuring that no one living save them was within.

Once Del was satisfied, EDI went to a bank of computers and began trying to access the network. Liara went to the chief medical station, calling up records and perusing them. After a moment, she called Shepard over.

"What is it?" Del asked, reaching her side.

"These are medical and personnel logs going back quite some time," she said. "Shepard, some of the logs bear your name…and that of your sister."

"Pull one up," Del said, and a moment later, an image appeared on the large screen above. The Illusive Man was speaking with a doctor.

"_She is completely brain-dead,"_ the doctor was saying. _"There's simply no way Lazarus is going to succeed. I mean, it's miraculous in and of itself that the helmet even kept the brain __**intact**__, but we can't-"_

"_Operative Lawson is confident we can," _the Illusive Man said. _"__**She **__is in charge of this project."_

"_This is not something that can be fixed just by throwing money and resources at it! There is __**no**__ electrical or chemical activity left in the brain. We might as well be trying to turn a pile of ground beef back into a cow! Look, you have the DNA you need to complete Shiva. We can clone the cells indefinitely and experiment on them until your heart's content, but bringing Shepard back to life is just…just __**lunacy**__!"_

"_That's what the medieval church told Galileo when he confirmed Copernicus's theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Without accurate observations of her brain patterns and behavior, Project: Shiva will fail. I don't want excuses. Just do it."_

Del reached over and shut off the feed. Liara looked at her softly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just…makes me feel a bit like Frankenstein's monster, is all."

"Frankenstein's monster?"

"Ancient Earth literature. It's a story about a man who steals various parts from corpses and stitches them together, before reanimating them with electricity from lightning."

"Well, I can assure you Del, you are not 'Frankenstein's monster.' You are _you_, the same person you have always been."

"How can you be sure? I mean, how can you _really_ be sure?"

Liara reached over and put her hand over Del's. "I knew you were you the very moment I first touched you again, Shepard. We have been one, and I would know you in the darkest pit, and in whatever form."

Del met her eyes a moment, giving her hand a squeeze, before EDI turned. "Shepard."

Leaving the console, they headed over to the synthetic. "What is it?"

"I have accessed the secondary network. It does not contain the Prothean data we are seeking, but it does contain files on the renewal of Project: Shiva."

"Renewal? So he _is_ trying to reboot it."

"So it seems. It appears he was planning to use Miranda or Oriana as the focus of the new Shiva due to the engineering of their DNA."

"Well, since he didn't get them, Shiva 2.0 is now out of the question."

"Not entirely. These records contain a full DNA map from another source. I cannot determine where the source came from, but it _is_ human. It seems efforts to restart Shiva began some weeks ago using the source of this DNA."

"He had a back-up plan, in case he was unable to secure Miranda or Oriana," Liara said.

"That's just _fantastic_!" Ashley said. "We need to find out who this subject is, and stop Shiva from being rebuilt."

"It's still going to take him too much time, time he doesn't have left," Del replied. "We get that Prothean data, we stop both him and the Reapers, and everyone goes home."

"I have taken what I can from this network," EDI said. "The master network for the station will be in the main control room on the upper deck."

Her voice changed to Miranda's. "If the Prothean data is anywhere, it'll be there. Only the Illusive Man and very, _very_ few of his most trusted were ever cleared to access that network."

"Do you have clearance to access it, Miranda?" Del asked.

"I did at one point. I think it's safe to say any permissions under my name have by now been thoroughly and indelibly done away with."

"We'll get it regardless. EDI, how far till we reach the control room?"

"We will need to move up to the main floor. Without opposition, it should take less than seven minutes."

"Ok, we need to get moving then." She headed across the lab, the others falling in as she touched her radio. "Steve, any luck finding our mystery visitor's ship?"

_{Yeah, just spotted it. There's a small custom transport attached to an upper level airlock. Just big enough for two, maybe three people. Idents have been scrubbed, as have any registrations. I'd say it's an assassin or a merc ship…she's little, unobtrusive, but she's __**fast**__. Her systems are secured up the yin-yang as well. I can't get access to her onboard network.}_

"Keep trying but be ready to move out of there the moment I give notice. We're heading up to the main control room now."

_{Understood.}_

* * *

The asari stepped into the control room, pausing a moment as she took in the sight.

The outer walls were all transparent, showing the stars, the looming pregnant bulk of the red giant star, and the ongoing firefight between the Cerberus forces and their opponents. The floor panels were so highly polished and reflective that they gave the illusion that any who walked over them were stepping between the stars themselves, suspended in space.

Toward the center of the vast room was a single chair, facing a huge bank of holographic displays. There was no living creature in sight.

She cursed, then cursed again, striding furiously up to the chair and glaring at the displays a moment, before a voice spoke from behind her.

"I'm glad you're here."

She whirled, gun snapping up a moment before lowering again. The holographic form of the Illusive Man took a draw on his cigarette, and smiled at her.

"Coward," she said, her expression stone.

"Pragmatist," he replied in correction. "I am sorry for the deception, but I could hardly let you succeed in your plan to kill me. You already know by now that Shepard is on this station…heading right for this very spot."

"I know. I was going to wait for her, slit her throat and dump her carcass right on top of _your_ steaming corpse."

"That sounds downright poetic. I _am_ puzzled at your vitriol toward me, however. We had a business deal that went sour. It happens."

"_You_ are the reason my brother is dead!"

"I beg to differ. _Shepard_ is the reason your brother is dead. She's the reason your mother is dead, your bondmate. Shepard is the cause of every pain you have suffered from the moment you were born, Eír. You know this as well as I do."

"So you lured me here to get me to do _your_ dirty work, while _you_ hide."

"Do my motivations really matter? You are here, and Shepard is about to walk through that door. There is nothing to stop you from killing her, from taking your vengeance. I am only asking you to do what every part of you _wants_ to do anyway- kill Captain Del Shepard."

"I _will_ kill her," Eír said coldly. "But if you think you're safe in whatever hole you have crawled into, think again. I will kill her, and then I will come and find _you_."

"You do whatever you think is necessary. So long as Shepard doesn't leave this room alive, we will _both_ get what we want."

He turned and broke apart into dancing points of light. As they faded away, she scowled. She hated that he was right, that she was being used. Her entire life, Eír had been a tool, a puppet to someone's whim. She had been engineered to be so, made for only one purpose.

And that purpose was about to walk through that door.

Yes, she had been lured here under a pretense, but did it really matter? Shepard was her true prey, and Shepard was _here_. So long as her blade got to sink into that bitch's chest, were the circumstances of it really that important?

_Kill Shepard. Nothing else is important. Once I kill her I can finally rest. This can all finally come to an end._

She looked to the door a moment, then back at the computer displays, her eyes narrowed in thought. Tucking her pistol away, she looked upward, then along the wall and floor. Realizing the polished panels below her feet were removable, she slipped one open just to the left of the doorway.

The huge amounts of computer and holographic equipment necessary to run this room were beneath, affording a space about five feet in depth between the real floor and the decorative panels. Dropping into the space, she drew the panel back over her head…and waited.

* * *

Four more squadrons of Cerberus soldiers lay strewn about the halls between the main labs and the control room- all dead. Their mysterious assassin remained invisible, leaving no sign of his or herself that might even remotely give a clue as to their identity.

As they approached the control room door, Kasumi once again disappeared beneath her cloak, slipping carefully into the space beyond the open door. Shepard, Ash, and Liara all kept their weapons ready, waiting in tense silence before Kasumi reappeared, shaking her head.

"It is clear. There is no one within."

Del scowled, then nodded to Liara. The asari lowered her weapon, then generated a biotic field around them as they stepped inside.

The molten red light of the enormous, dying star seemed to cast blood over the reflective floor. A lone chair stood beneath a swath of displays. Shepard had faced this room many times before in her communications with the Illusive Man.

"Kasumi is correct, the room is clear," EDI said. Liara lowered her barrier as Del shook her head.

"Access the main network. Find that data."

EDI headed toward the displays as Shepard moved toward the chair. Sitting down, she accessed its personal controls, trying to get an over-all schematic view of the station. If the Illusive Man were still aboard, she wanted to know every crevice and hidey-hole he could possibly be lurking in.

"Shepard, you're in my chair."

Del drew her pistol as she stood, turning to face…a hologram. Glaring, she lowered the weapon. "Illusive Man."

"This is not an actual communication," EDI said. "This is a pre-recorded image, set to activate upon someone sitting in that chair."

"By now EDI should have told you it's not actually me, sad to say. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to greet you in person, Shepard, but I'm an extremely busy man, as you well know."

"Egotistical ass," Ashley said.

"You'll find the Prothean VI and the data you're looking for in the computer, of course. It won't help you. You can't stop me this time, Shepard. The hour is later than you think. Thanks to the data from the VI and what I was able to retrieve from Sanctuary, mankind can finally harness and control the Reapers and through them, dominate the galaxy."

"_Insane_ egotistical ass," Kasumi said with a nod at Ash.

"I almost wish that you could be there to see the culmination of my life's work, Shepard," the image continued. "But this is where we part ways. Good-bye, Shepard. It's been…_interesting_."

As his hologram vanished, EDI looked at the captain again. "Shepard, something odd. That pre-recorded message was made with a virtual persona projection system, and not simple bio-mapping as is typical of holographic transmission sequences."

"_Galactic_, EDI," Del said, her tired irritation showing through.

"What she means is, he programmed that image as one would a VI's persona image- artificially, rather than just scanning or transmitting his own," Liara said.

"Why would he do that?" Del asked.

"That is a good question," Liara said, looking at the spot where the image had vanished. "I can only think of one reason to go through that trouble- to hide his current appearance."

"Hide his…_why_? We know who he is, and I've seen him a thousand times. His identity is hardly a secret anymore."

"Then maybe it's changed," Ashley suggested. "Maybe the Illusive Man is dead, and some subordinate is trying to carry on his work under the pretense that he's alive. Maybe Cerberus is in more trouble than we think."

"Or maybe he no longer looks the same way he _did_," Kasumi said, folding her arms. "EDI _did_ say he had a full DNA map from a different source than you or the Lawsons. Maybe Mr. Wacko finally put the knife to _himself_."

"That would mean that…the new focal for Project: Shiva is the _Illusive Man_?"

"Hey, why not? When your time runs out and you're backed into a corner, people do all sorts of crazy things, and when they're already crazy to begin with-"

"Shepard, I have located the Prothean VI program," EDI announced. "Accessing now."

There was a faint green shimmer in the air, and Vendetta coalesced near the chair. As Del approached, it looked to her. "You are the one this program first encountered, before it was taken."

Unlike before, Vendetta was now speaking galactic and not Prothean. It seemed the Illusive Man had tweaked its translators to be understandable.

"Yes, I am. I need information," Del said. "We have built the Crucible but we are missing key elements. It is designed to plug into a power source. We need to know what that power source is, and where we can find the catalyst program designed to run it."

"I can tell you these things, but it is already too late for your cycle-"

"So you tried to tell me before. I don't buy it. Tell me what I need to know."

"The power source the Crucible is designed to utilize is the hub of the galactic relay network. It draws dark energy and uses it to power itself and connect the relay system galaxy wide." He lifted a hand, and a strikingly familiar image appeared over it, in miniature.

Del stared. "Wait, you mean the _Citadel_? The Citadel is the power source?"

"If that is your name for this structure, then yes. The Citadel controls and powers the relay network. It alone has the capability of drawing the needed amount of dark energy to power the Crucible weapon."

"But I-I do not understand," Liara said. "How is that possible? If the Crucible plans were passed down through each cycle, why would they use a design that can only work if powered by the Citadel? In all cycles previous to ours, the Citadel was where the Reapers first appeared from dark space. Why design a weapon that has to utilize a station already under full enemy control? One that would be all but impossible to retake?"

"You are making the erroneous conclusion that the Crucible plans were designed by the species in cycles prior to this one," Vendetta said. "While slightly altered or improved upon by the following species, the original plans for the Crucible were designed by those who had originally designed the Citadel and the relay system."

"That's not possible," Del said. "The Citadel and the relays were created by the Reapers. Why would they also make plans for a weapon that could be used to destroy them?"

"Maybe it's just not really a weapon," Ashley said. "Maybe it's a trap, and what the Crucible will actually do is destroy _us_ instead."

"Your logic is understandable, but flawed," Vendetta said. "The Reapers were not the ones who created the Citadel and the relay network. They attempted to make that claim in our cycle as well, but many of our scientists uncovered evidences that pointed toward startling conclusions. They ran out of time before they could confirm their hypotheses, but it was widely believed by Prashak Vran and the others of his team that there were two powers in the galaxy at the time the Reapers were created.

"The original power, who the Protheans called the Senate, created the Citadel and the relay system. Then another power arose, called the Revolutionists. It was they who created the Reapers and began their cycle of destruction. The theory was, in an effort to halt the Reaper's destruction, the Senate began the plans for the Crucible, which would eliminate the Reapers and strike a blow to the Revolutionists. It is clear the Senate was defeated before they could implement the Crucible, but in the wake of their destruction, the Revolutionists were also lost. The Reapers merely continued on their pre-programmed cycle of destruction. Being true AI constructs both mechanical and biological, this cycle first became culture, then religion, then a delusion of divinity. It is possible that so many cycles have passed, the Reapers themselves no longer remember the truth of their origins or purpose."

"This is…this is too much to process," Liara said. "Vendetta, do you have any of these 'evidences' that led your people to this conclusion…that pointed to this 'Senate' and the 'Revolutionists?'"

"No. Before the end, what little resources my people had found on the Reapers were recorded and hidden away. I was not programmed with the knowledge of their whereabouts, only that they existed and were sequestered."

"Much as I'd love to solve the mystery of how they came to be, and why the fuck they return every 50,000 years to destroy any advanced civilization, I'd _much_ rather stop them for good. Regardless of the how or the why, if the Citadel is the power source for the Crucible, we have to get it there. Vendetta, we're also missing the 'catalyst program'. It's one thing to power the weapon but we need to know how to aim and fire it. Do you know where that program is?"

"It is unconfirmed, but it was believed the master program is in the Citadel's systems. Once the Crucible is joined with the systems from the station and receives power, it will trigger the hidden master program to activate."

"A hidden program in the Citadel systems…EDI, is that even possible?"

"Despite the fact the Citadel has been in use for thousands of years, there is little truly understood about it, Shepard," the synthetic said. "The purposes of the Keepers themselves are only beginning to be revealed. There are several areas of the Citadel that have remained inaccessible to any organic, and the possibility that there are advanced computer systems, networks, and programs throughout the structure is not only probable, but likely."

"All right, so we get the Crucible to the Citadel and we end this thing. EDI, inform _Normandy_ that we're-"

Shepard was already turning toward the door when Vendetta interrupted her. "As has been said, however, you are too late."

She looked back at it with a glare. "I'm _not_ willing to give up and roll over just because the Reapers are already here-"

"You misunderstand. The one that stole me from the archive location has already heard this information. Before you arrived, he had informed the Reapers of your plans, and departed from here to the Citadel himself. The Reapers have abandoned outlying theatres of war, and have converged on the Citadel. They are in the process of taking it to the heart of their controlled space, to the world they refer to as the 'nest of Iovino.'"

Del could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. "_Earth._"

"Yes. Once there, they will protect it with all of their entrenched forces. It will be impossible to utilize it for the Crucible."

"_Nothing_ is impossible," Del snarled, jabbing a finger toward the VI. "EDI, notify Cortez and the _Normandy_, we're wiring this place to blow and getting the fuck out of-"

As they had conversed, all focus on the consoles or the Prothean VI, Eír had silently emerged from her hiding place. As Del turned, striding toward the door, she barely saw the shadow lurking beside it.

There was the snap of a rifle, interrupting the captain as the shield generator on her belt suddenly blew apart, her shields dying in a snap of blue fire. Not seeing the shooter, the shot seeming to coincide with a dull shove at her waist as her generator blew, Del started to look downward at it.

A second shot followed instantly on the heels of the first. All of it took less than half a second, from the first trigger pull to the impact of the second shot. Del's head snapped back as if yanked by a string, shards from her helmet face-plate shining in mid-air like diamonds, chased by pure rubies made of blood.


	77. Chapter 77

A/N: Much thanks as always to the incomparable Bladhaire! Also, I will be at a day-long training meeting in a different city tomorrow (Wednesday), so…sad to say, no chapter then.

On we go!

* * *

For Liara, time and air seemed to congeal to ice all around her. In truth, everything happened with incredible speed, yet it seemed to take eons between one heartbeat and the next.

Shepard turned, heading toward the door as Vendetta vanished. EDI, standing near the console, had her attention there, saving the VI and the data as she began her communication to the _Normandy_ . Ashley, standing near to her, glanced toward the synthetic as she began to do so, distracted.

Liara didn't see the crouching shadow at all at first, turning to fall into step beside Del. The two rifle shots were so quick that the shield generator on Shepard's belt and her face-plate both seemed to explode simultaneously.

Del's head jerked back as she reeled, arms flailing limply to the side. It seemed to Liara that she hung in midair for a century, a sculpture immortalized in motion. She saw the light flash off the broken shards from her helmet, saw the rich splash of crimson, but her mind refused to process it at first.

It wasn't until Del hit the ground with a sickening, boneless crash that time seemed to move forward in a hurried rush, as if to make up for its momentary delay.

* * *

Ashley heard the shot and turned away from EDI, hand reaching for her rifle. On pure instinct she dove toward the side, a motion that probably saved her life. A rifle shot sailed by. Directed at her shield generator, it skimmed by less than an inch from her waist as she leapt, and instead drove into the console. Ash hit the ground, twisting her rifle around toward the shadow. She managed a single shot that went wild the moment before heat and concussion rocketed past her. The shot that had hit the console had compromise a plasma relay or a power juncture. It overloaded and exploded, her barriers flaring madly as debris rained down around her, an unseen hand of fire pressing her hard into the ground.

As she began to recover, coughing and looking up, there was a wash of blue heat. Blinking in shock, she saw the floor plates seem to lift and fly off the ground, rushing ahead of a blue tidal wave of biotic energy. The plates crashed with terrific noise into the wall all around the main door, but some hit on an angle, rebounding toward them. Ash rolled as one of these slammed and shattered not inches from where she lay.

Then she was in motion, on her feet and leaping over the gaps of exposed machinery and computer systems in the floor. Her eyes were fixed on the dark figure, an asari. There were words, shouting, but her ears were ringing and she couldn't make them out. She had just gotten her rifle to bear on the form when a blinking flash headed her way again.

Grenade.

_Not another explosion_, she thought, and dove groundward once again.

* * *

The two shots had struck perfectly… or so it seemed. Watching Shepard fall backward was a triumph Eír couldn't yet relish. The captain was not alone, and her companions were not inept civilians. Even as Del fell, Eír switched her aim and fired toward the other marine, near the console. As if sensing her intentions, the woman lunged to the side, the shot missing her narrowly as it burrowed into the equipment.

A breath later, the entire bank swelled and exploded in a blast of fire and arcing electricity. The synthetic- too close to the plasma discharge- jolted as the overload engulfed her, jerking and shuddering before collapsing.

Cold fire dancing in her eyes, Eír snarled as she realized the captain was moving, lifting one shaking hand toward her helmet as she weakly edged up to an elbow, trying to sit. Liara, on her knees at her side, was half hunched with an arm protectively lifted over her head. She had thrown a small barrier up around them, an instinctive act in response to the console's destruction. The barrier would deflect anything moving fast enough… Eír would need a _slower_ weapon to finish this.

Still crouched, she drew a hunting knife from her boot. The marine and the synthetic were starting to recover, Liara lowering her head a little and looking toward the ruined console, the barrier still in place. In less than a second, they'd focus on her again. She had to act _now_.

Hefting the knife, Eír ran her thumb over the handle, feeling the inscription. Carved in a beautifully flowing asari script, Eír didn't need to look at it to remember what it said.

_Everything is a lesson_

The knife had been a gift from Shrive. Though she mourned its loss, Eír could think of no more fitting a weapon to end the life of the woman who had taken everything from her. Expertly flipping the weapon she grasped it firmly by the blade. Rising gracefully, she took a single step forward, whipping the knife into its deadly flight.

The dull meaty thud of the blade hitting home was the purest music Eír had ever heard, yet barely had her lips began to curl into a triumphant grin than she realized the knife hadn't actually reached Shepard. Instead, it appeared to be frozen in mid-air a few feet in front of her intended target.

Confusion flickered across her features briefly as a spatter of blood tumbled to the floor. There was a flash, then a shimmer as Kasumi's cloak flicked and died, the thief slumping to her knees before collapsing on to her side.

"No. _No!_"

Her window of opportunity had snapped shut. A wave of blue fire tore across the room, sweeping up floor tiles as it advanced. Barely managing to shield her head, Eír stumbled heavily into the wall as several of the tiles careened into her. The biotics themselves died the moment they reached Eír, her cinch flaring brighter a moment as it absorbed the energy. Still wreathed in blue, Liara was fury incarnate as she shielded the small group.

Pushing off the wall, Eír regained her feet, ignoring Ashley who was struggling to her own. Shepard had managed to remove her helmet, her face awash with blood. She sat next to Kasumi, obviously still dazed and also still very much _alive_.

"I _will kill you_ Shepard! You have taken everything from me, _everything_ ! My mother, my brother, my bondmate! You stole my life away before I had even drawn my first breath, and I _will_take yours in payment!"

Ashley was now making her way over the broken floor, lifting her rifle. The synthetic had also recovered itself, moving in uncoordinated jerks as she drew her weapon.

Unclipping a grenade from her belt, Eír activated it and pitched it almost casually towards the clustered women, ducking out the door in almost the same motion. A swipe of biotics and Liara batted the grenade away. It exploded far enough away to prevent injury but in the confined space it was enough to knock those still standing from their feet.

* * *

Ashley surged up first, shaking her head sharply with a few curses. Scrambling over the last of the broken floor plates she vanished into the corridor, in pursuit of Eír.

Moving into a half-sit, Liara could see Del leaning over Kasumi, an alarming puddle of crimson surrounding them both. Moving to Del's side she could see the thief lying before her was deathly pale except for her lips - those were stained ruby red.

Liara's shaking hands fumbled in her pouch for some medi-gel packets, her eyes already glossing. As she pulled one out, she realized that Kasumi was trying to speak, her eyes fixed on Del.

"Prom... promise me something, Shep?" Her voice was a damp whisper.

Del reached out a gloved hand to grasp Kasumi's arm gently. "_Don't talk_, we're gonna get you out of here. EDI...!"

"Cortez has been advised that we require emergency evacuation. I have directed him to attach to the airlock adjacent to this room. Doctor Chakwas is standing by on the _Normandy_."

"Li?"

Liara had cracked one of the packets open, trying to seal the wound around the blade of the embedded knife, fingers trembling as her gut instinct warned her it was a futile effort. For there to be this much blood, welling this _fast_, her aorta or her pulmonary artery had to be severely damaged. Medi-gel just wasn't going to cut it.

The asari looked up from her work. The look in her eyes said it all.

Del swiped at her face as tears slowly cut a path down her bloodied cheeks. Kasumi's gaze was still fixed to her. Liara's fingers pressed to the side of her throat as the dying thief struggled to speak again.

"Pro... promise to ste...steal something for me. So…something _big_."

Del gripped her hand, resting her other on her friend's pale forehead. "I _promise_."

Kasumi's eyes fluttered closed one last time, and oddly enough, the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

_"Keiji..."_

Del lowered her head, her jaw rippling as she grit her teeth. Liara slowly withdrew her fingers, shaking her head sadly.

"Shepard, Cortez is attaching to the airlock," EDI reported. Del looked up at her, then back at the thief, before she blinked and glanced around. She still felt a bit off-center, dizzy.

"Where did Ash go?"

"Eír fled," EDI told her. "Williams pursued."

Del's face instantly turned to stone. Reaching out, she gripped the handle of the hunting knife and lay her other hand on Kasumi's forehead again.

"Sorry," she whispered, then ripped the knife out, pushing herself up to her feet. The motion sent a wave of dizzy nausea over her, and Liara immediately steadied her as she swayed.

"Shepard, we need to get you to Chakwas," she said. Del could see the fear and worry dancing in her blue eyes, but there was work to do. She doubted with all her heart that Eír was actually 'retreating,' rather than 'falling back to a more advantageous position', and she was going to be good god-_damned_ if she lost Ash to that bitch too.

"I'm all right," she said, backhanding some more blood away from her eyes. Truth be told her face felt like it was on fire, but she'd suffered worse pain before. Stepping away from Liara, she headed for the door, digging in her pouch and hauling out a medi-gel pack. Snapping it open on her thigh, she haphazardly smeared it over her face. Her fingers caught up on something, and she almost idly pulled a long shard of her face-plate out of her scalp, near the hairline, and flicked it away.

Ignoring Liara's protest, she pointed at EDI. "Get Kasumi onto the shuttle, I'm not leaving her here. As soon as we rig this station to blow we'll meet you there and get the hell out of here."

"Shepard, it is unlikely that Eír is actually retreating. She was not greatly injured and will likely try to lure you into a location that is advantageous for her."

"I know," Del replied. "I intend to find her."

As she strode for the door, a darkness passed over her eyes, the blood smeared over her face only making her look more animalistic as she snarled.

"_I need to give her her knife back."_

* * *

The muffled cotton in Ashley's ears had changed to a high-pitched ringing. She did her best to ignore it, moving carefully down the corridor. The asari seemed to be headed back toward the large main lab, where she'd be hard to corner, and have plenty of cover and maneuverability.

Scanning for traps, she had nearly reached the open door of the lab when her radio buzzed to life.

_{Williams, report. What's your status?}_

"In pursuit of the hostile, down one level. Looks like she's in the main lab."

_{Injured?}_

"Negative, just a bit concussed from that console blast. If _she's_ hurt I've seen no sign."

_{Do __**not**__ engage her alone, Williams. She's no ordinary asari, and she __**will**__ hand you your ass, do you understand? Liara and I are on our way to meet you. Stay put until we rendezvous.}_

Ashley scowled at the implication that she couldn't handle this bitch alone. She'd made Spectre, after all. She didn't need babysitting.

Fortunately, common sense won out. Del wasn't one to baby her subordinates, and for her to caution on a hostile meant she really believed this was no ordinary asari.

So Ashley remained just outside of the lab, finding an alcove that would offer her solid cover while still giving her a clear view of the field. Her rifle to her shoulder, her aim remained solidly on the doorway until Liara and Shepard appeared at her side.

"Anything?" Del asked, crouching by her side.

"My gut says she's in there, Skipper, but she hasn't made a peep." Ashley looked over at Del, then did a double-take. "Shit, _Shepard_!"

Del's face was still smeared with drying blood and medi-gel. A long laceration at her scalp line marked where she'd pulled the shard of face-plate from her flesh. Several smaller gashes lined her cheeks, some still glinting with tiny bits of plastic. Her hair stuck in haphazard patches to her forehead and cheeks.

Ignoring Ash's surprise, Del pulled out her sniper. "We're moving in closer to the door. Find cover and hold. I'll scope her out on infrared."

"Who _is_ this bitch anyway? She seemed to know you."

"She is my sister," Liara replied.

"Your…_what?_"

"Stow it. Let's get this done."

They moved carefully into position, Del getting low and edging her Widow barrel and scope around the edge of the door. On full infrared, the blue and green outlines of the equipment banks and instrument tables etched into sharp relief. At first, there was no sign of Eír. Panning very carefully, scrutinizing each inch, Del finally caught sight of a tiny wedge of white and red, and a small yet ominous circular patch of purple and black.

Fixing her position, she drew her sniper back, and whispered to the other two. "Ok, she's hiding on the second level. There is a desk and a computer bank, about eight o'clock. She is in position beside the computer bank, obscured by the desk. I don't think she has a sniper but she has her rifle focused directly on the door. She sees any motion and she's going to open wide. Ash, you and I are going to rush the room. As soon as you're in, cut right to three o'clock…there's a low partition there that'll give you cover. Stay there and lay down fire. I'll cut left and hit the stairs for the second level. Li, shield us as we run in. The moment I hit those stairs you hit her with every ounce of biotics you have. Shield yourself, but throw everything else you have at her. Don't let up, all right?"

"Shepard, I could do so until I exhaust myself biotically, but it will have no effect. The cinch-"

"I know, I'm counting on that. Just keep yourself shielded and send the fire until you can't."

"As you say."

Rifle in hand, Del tensed, holding three fingers toward Ash. One by one, they dropped in a silent countdown, both women surging forward as the last one fell.

Liara's barrier fell over them the instant they began to move, and less than a step over the threshold, bullets began to rebuff off of it. Del blasted a wave of bullets toward Eír's hiding place, not really aiming, and broke off, darting for the stairs as Ash skidded down behind the partition.

The moment Williams opened fire on Eír's position, Liara ran into the room. Flaming with blue light, she threw a slam up toward the second floor, following it with blast after blast of dark energy. Del was halfway up the stairs now, spraying shot across the floor as she crested the landing.

In the wake of the biotic onslaught, the desk and console that Eír had been using as cover tore apart, the desk flipping and slamming into the wall, before rebounding and tumbling over the railing. It smashed into a roll cart filled with glass instruments and containers, destroying it with a terrific sound.

Eír turned her rifle on the most obvious onslaught- Liara and Ash. Bullets sang down from on high in licks of fire, flaring off of Liara's barriers and pitting the front of the partition as Williams ducked back. Still, Eír was nothing if not clever. Even as she fired, she telegraphed to the side, drawing her pistol as well. Laying down rifle-fire with one hand, she jabbed the pistol along the catwalk and fired toward the oncoming Shepard as well.

Without her barriers or her helmet, Del was in a very dangerous situation. The moment she hit the second level, Eír sent bullets her way. Del dropped low, skidding on the ground as if intending to slide into home base on a zee-gee ball court. Liara sent another wave of biotics that ripped through part of the metal railing near Eír, before the energy narrowed and vanished into her brilliantly glowing cinch.

Del's rifle leapt to life, and Eír ducked back a little. Her pistol jammed, overheated, and she dropped it, grabbing a chair and pitching it with manic strength toward the human captain. Shepard smacked it away with the sweep of her forearm, ignoring the sharp bite of pain that would leave a remarkable bruise behind. Another dark energy slam lit Eír's face up like a demon's before it sucked away into her cinch.

Del concentrated fire, stalking forward, determined to drive the asari back. Ash's fire skipped over Eír's shields, making them flare on the edge of collapsing.

Suddenly Eír rushed forward, grabbing the bent railing and leaping over it. Liara, panting and damp with sweat, gathered up one final surge of biotics and sent it careening her way as Eír hit the ground and rolled. Ineffective, the incredible swell of blue drew in and vanished, made ineffectual by the implacable cinch.

Shepard followed suit, leaping over the railing as well before Eír had even hit the ground. As the asari recovered she launched with a snarl into Del and instantly the two were in a hand-to-hand grapple. Thanks to her genetic engineering, Eír was strong and extremely fast. Fortunately, Del wasn't quite factory-standard herself.

Ashley, no longer able to fire for fear of hitting Shepard, edged out and grabbed hold of Liara, drawing the exhausted biotic behind cover. Shepard's lip split under a furious punch, before she backhanded Eír in return. Baring blue-tinged teeth, Eír drove her arm up under Del's chin, struggling her backward and hard against a column, pressing her windpipe closed. Del braced herself, one arm leveraged under Eír's as she tried to force the relentless asari back. Her other hand groped for her belt.

"_I have something of yours_," she hissed, her own teeth stained red, blood leaking down her chin.

"The only thing I want from _you_ is your _death_," Eír replied, struggling to press harder.

"_Too bad_."

Shepard drew her hand away from her belt and stabbed the hunting knife that Eír had used to kill Kasumi deep into the asari's shoulder. Eír wailed in pain, her grip loosening. Braced on the column, Del used her leverage to shove Eír away from her, throwing her back onto the ground.

Eír hit the floor, skidding slightly and rolling onto her side. Her hand gripped the knife and ripped it out as Del reached for her belt again. As the asari dropped the blade, swiftly lunging to the attack again, Del lifted a small cube.

There was a flash of blue lightning, and a grunting gasp of pure agony as the cinch released a portion of its biotic charge directly into its wearer. Eír's legs crumbled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground. Tucking the cube away again, Del stepped toward her, hooking her boot under Eír's wounded shoulder and roughly flipping her onto her back. The asari was unconscious, pale and trembling slightly.

As Liara and Ashley ran over, Del crouched atop her limp enemy. She looked almost feral, drooling blood, with crusted spikes of her hair sticking up madly over her forehead. Her hand quested out, found the knife-handle again, and gripped it. With a growl, she lifted it high…then blinked as two hands abruptly caught her wrist.

"Del, _no_!"

She looked up at Liara, and some of the mad light faded out of her eyes, her face softening. She nodded, surrendering the knife to her love before she looked back down at Eír.

"She's out cold," Ashley said. "What the hell _was_ that thing? What did you do to her?"

"Old tech," Del said, yanking Eír's loose coat aside and displaying the still brightly glowing cinch. "It's some sort of battery. It absorbs dark energy, cripples whoever is wearing it from using biotics but also prevents them from being effected by them. I used the control cube to release a small portion of its stored charge. Gentled her down some."

"You sure she's out?"

Del reached up and slapped Eír's face, hard. The crack of her glove against flesh was resounding and made Liara wince…but Eír's eyelashes didn't even flutter.

"Yeah, she's out. Ash, you got those bind-cuffs?"

Wordlessly, Williams passed over a pair of cuffs, and Del hauled Eír's arms forward, securing her wrists. She wiped a forearm over her face a moment, then drew the cube out again, focusing on the cinch a moment before she took hold of the links, and hauled them apart.

Drawing it off of the unconscious Asari, Del wound it around her forearm. Liara looked at her with wide, confused eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"You and Ashley are going to take Eír back to the shuttle and pump her with enough sedatives to keep a goddamn bear in hibernation for a decade. We'll toss her in the brig, keep her in a coma until we can figure out what the fuck we're going to _do_ with her-"

"Del-"

"Liara, it's for _your_ sake and your sake _alone_ I didn't kill her just now. As far as I'm concerned at this moment, pitching her into the _Normandy_'s afterburners and letting her cook is too good for her, so _don't make me change my mind_. I know she's your sister and this isn't entirely her fault, which is the _only goddamn reason_ she's still breathing. I _will_ change that in a heartbeat if I have to, dong ma?"

Liara's blue eyes fixed on Del's sternly a moment before she finally nodded. As Shepard rose, Liara gestured at the length of metal on her arm.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I only released a tiny amount of its charge. I'm going to go dump it in the station core and once we're heading out of the system, I'm going to trigger it to release its remaining charge. Hopefully that'll be enough direct dark energy to overload the core and blow this station to hell…and this damned cinch along with it."

"If it's not?"

"Then we target it with the _Normandy's_ main gun and finish the job. Core the size of the one on this station, that's going to be touchy…weapons-range to target may be too close to the blast range when it goes up, but we'll do what we have too. Now get moving, and get her sedated. I'll meet you on the shuttle in five."

* * *

Del worked her way down to the engineering level via several access ladders rather than using the main corridors. Though still a little dizzy, the medi-gel had taken care of the pain in her face, and most of the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

Manually forcing two doors, she finally stepped into the station's massive central engineering section. The pervasive hum of the huge, shielded eezo core seemed to vibrate almost silently through her bones. Climbing to an upper catwalk, she extended the maintenance bridge over the core itself, touching her ear-bud as she waited for it to move into place.

"EDI, this is Shepard, are you reading me?"

Distorted static filled her ear. She shook her head, then switched the band. "Liara, it's Del. Please respond."

No good. This close to the core, even shielded, the static energy was knocking out the comm range of her simple ear bud. Her helmet connection may have gotten better results, but her helmet was sitting ruined on the floor of the control room.

She had to use a robotic arm to insert the cinch into the core, passing it through three secured layers in the shielding before it actually reached the processed eezo. She feared that the enormous amount of energy and radiation from the core itself would destroy the cinch. She had no way of knowing if it was still intact and undamaged once it reached the core, but there was no helping that. If the core failed to overload when she released its contained charge then…they'd just have to do things the old-fashioned way and hope for the best.

Climbing down, she made her way back up to the control deck, quickly reaching the waiting shuttle. As she ducked inside, she blinked in surprise. EDI…and _only_ EDI…turned to face her. Kasumi's body, wrapped in soft plastic, was the only other item in the passenger compartment.

"Where's Liara and Ash?" she asked.

"I have been trying to contact you. They have not yet arrived."

Cold fear knotted her throat and she let out a rough curse before the turned and ran out of the airlock again, drawing her rifle. She barely heard EDI on her heels.

_She was out goddamn cold! She should have remained unconscious until they reached the shuttle, easy! Even if she __**did**__ come around, she'd be too woozy and disoriented to…wait. Vorcha. Goddamn it! I keep forgetting she's not actually asari. Didn't Mordin say Osco used vorcha genetics as well? How much you wanna fucking bet that she heals as fast as they do…son of a __**bitch**__!_

She'd failed them. Her goddamn meat-head stupidity had failed them. She'd left them with an uncinched biotic killing machine, stupidly figuring she'd behave biologically like a regular asari, and stay out long enough for them to sedate her.

Kasumi was bad enough. If she'd gotten Ash killed too, and Li-…

_Liara…oh, God, please…if You exist…not Liara. Please, anything but her…_

She found them in the second corridor. Ash was sprawled on the floor, her rifle just past her outstretched fingers. Liara sat limp against the wall a few feet further on. Between them, a smear of purple blood and a hand-print darkened the floor, a scorched pair of broken cuffs nearby.

EDI crouched by Ashley as Del ran to Liara. "Li? _Li!_"

Moving carefully, she worked the asari's dented helmet off, then cupped her cheek. "Li, open your eyes…_c'mon_ Tianlán…"

Liara grimaced faintly, coughing. Shepard held her head steady, relief slamming through her chest. "Li…"

"_Del_?" Liara coughed again, then opened her eyes. She looked confused for a moment, before she focused. "Ashley!"

She started to rise, and Del immediately halted her. "No no, you stay still. Are you ok?"

"Just…just stunned I think. Had the wind knocked out of me. Ashley?"

Del glanced over to see EDI helping the woozy commander into a sit. "How is she?"

"She seems to not be seriously harmed, merely rattled," EDI replied. Del nodded, looking back at Liara.

"She's ok."

"She…she came awake quite abruptly," Liara said shakily as Del looked her over. "She was completely unconscious one moment, then we were hit with an incredible biotic blast. I-I must have hit the wall-"

"Shepard," EDI said. "Judging by these marks and the pattern of blood spatter on the floor, I believe Eír is heading toward the airlock where her small indi-trans is stationed. However, she could double back and intercept us. I suggest we make all speed back to our own shuttle."

"I should track her down and put a _goddamn bullet in her_-" Shepard began angrily, only to cut off as Liara reached out, touching her cheek.

"Love, she could have killed us with ease. She did not. And we stand little chance against the full force of her biotics. She is wounded but she is no longer cinched. We must go while we have the opportunity."

She could see the war in Del's face, before she nodded and looked back at EDI. "Get her up. Let's get to the shuttle."

Taking Liara's arm, she slung it around her shoulders, winding her other around the asari's waist and helping her to her feet as EDI helped Ashley. Though she expected attack around every corner, they reached the shuttle without incident.

"Get us out of here, Cortez. That indi-trans launched?"

"No telling, the radiation from the giant is interfering with sensors at this angle. I can swing by the other side of the station and-"

"No, forget it. Just get us to the _Normandy_. EDI, the moment we're docked have Garrus call a retreat to Nova and Thanatos and head us for the relay. Warn them that the station is rigged to blow."

Turning back to the two women, Del crouched in front of Liara even as she looked at Ashley. "You five-by, Commander?"

"I'm all right," Ash said. "Just…hard to get my breath. That little asari packed quite a wallop. I don't think I've ever seen _anything_ so biotically powerful before."

"And you likely won't again. Eír is…well, Eír is a _long_ story. I'll fill you in later." She focused her attention back to Liara, tenderly touching a faint bruise on her forehead.

"I am fine," Liara said gently, taking her hand. "I am far more worried about _you_. Those cuts-"

"Scratches."

"_More_ than scratches," Liara said, wincing unconsciously as her fingers hovered near the worst gash at her scalp.

EDI came over, picking up Del's battered helmet from one of the benches. She had retrieved it when she'd moved Kasumi onto the shuttle. Almost solemnly, she handed it to Shepard, who looked at it critically.

"You are fortunate to be alive, Shepard," the synthetic said.

The mark where the bullet struck was plain to see, a visible dent pressed into the seam where metal reinforcement met the plasti-glass face-plate. It had been Del's reflexive action to look down at her shattered shield generator that had saved her life, causing the bullet to just miss hitting her right in the face, instead catching it on steel. Even so, the concussive force of it had warped the structure enough to shatter the plate and knock her silly.

As she looked at the helmet, Liara's trembling fingers reached out, tracing the dent. Seeing her face, Del set the helmet aside and gathered her up, hugging her tightly.

She didn't tell her it would be all right. She didn't tell her that she would have had that bullet hit its mark a thousand times over if it meant that Kasumi still lived. She just held tight to Liara and let out a shaking breath. Their words were much deeper than any that could ever be spoken, an understanding from soul to soul, a knowing that the worst…was _still_ yet to come.


	78. Chapter 78

A/N: From pretty much here on out…well, technically, _last_ chapter on out, we completely depart from canon. We start off just left, but as you know I'm redoing the ending _entirely_.

ANYTHING can happen. I make no promises, but hopefully if you've followed this long, you trust me at least a little bit. I just ask you to trust me a bit further, and hopefully you won't be disappointed.

Take my hand.

Take a deep breath.

Let's do this.

* * *

Nova and Thanatos had taken their blows in the fight against the Cerberus fleet. Six ships out of the combined twenty-seven (eight if you counted _Normandy_) had been lost, most of the others suffering some level of damage.

In comparison, the Cerberus ships had been decimated, a few ragged survivors limping frantically out of the system.

Nova was just requesting permission to pursue when Shepard's orders via EDI reached Garrus and Joker. Passing on the negative, Garrus called a full retreat out of system. Fortunately, no longer needing the element of surprise, they could use the nearer relay to reach the fleet rendezvous at Traction.

A few minutes later, Shepard herself was walking up to the helm, still a ghoul of smeared sweat, dried blood, and medi-gel. Liara was close behind, unhurt beyond some bruises but drawn, tense.

"Our ships hitting the relay?" Del asked as she reached Garrus's shoulder.

"The first ones will reach it in the next two minutes," he told her. "The entire fleet should clear through in the next three."

"Joker, draw us back to core compromise distance and hold position."

"Shouldn't you be down seeing Helen?" Garrus asked, seeing her face. Shepard ignored him, her eyes focused on the slowly retreating station, a shadow in the wake of the roiling red star it orbited.

"EDI, can we tell if Eír reached her transport and detached from the station?"

"Negative," the AI replied from above, her chassis still on the lower decks. "The star's radiation is too strong to accurately determine if she launched."

"We are at safe distance from any core explosion, Captain," Joker said.

Shepard's hand dipped into her spare thermal pouch and withdrew the small cinch cube again. She couldn't worry about Eír. Most of her hoped she was still on that damned station- or close enough to it that this blast would take her out, as well. Part of her still had sympathy for her, but it was swiftly becoming drowned out in the wake of Del's anger and grief. Eír may not have had a choice in how she was made and conditioned, but it was difficult to rationalize that when good friends were falling under her mindless wrath.

She knew Liara still cared for her, however. She still thought that she could be helped- unconditioned or convinced away from this bloody path she couldn't remove herself from. Del would do anything for Liara, but it was becoming more and more clear that the best cure for Eír was the same cure used for any _other_ mad, mindless, dangerous beast- a bullet to the fucking brain.

_Or an eezo core compromise._

"I'm detonating the station," she said. "Stand by."

Gripping the cube tightly, she released the remainder of the cinch's charged energy, hoping it had both survived contact with the eezo core, and that it had absorbed enough power through Liara's biotic attacks and the dark energy radiation from the core itself to compromise the shielding and tip it into overload.

For a single heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the station was gone, replaced by a ball of blue energy so hot and brilliant it was almost white, growing from nothingness to ten times the size of the station in the amount of time it took the image of it to travel from her eyes to her brain.

This was no simple eezo core overload. This was something beyond what any of them could _possibly_ have expected.

Joker didn't even have time to curse. The blast was only expanding, rapidly closing on their position with no sign of diminishing. Turning the _Normandy_ just in time, he targeted the relay, fingers flying.

"_Goddess_!" Liara gasped.

"EDI!" Shepard gripped the back of Joker's chair, eyes wide.

"External sensors compromised by rising eezo radiation, thirty seconds before radiation levels overload _Normandy's_ barriers. We have lost standard communications as well as QEC."

"Plotting relay jump! Captain, I can't slow down…we'll hit FTL in just under sixty seconds!" Joker's hands were darting frantically over screens and controls.

"We can't hit the relay going FTL, Shepard!" Garrus said. "Hitting it at that speed could rip the ship apart, even _if_ we made connection!"

"_Joker!"_

"We haven't got a choice! _Goddamn_! Shepard, the-"

There was a violent jar, shaking the entire ship. Alarms started to go off.

"EDI!" Del shouted.

"I can no longer read external radiation levels," EDI replied. "_Normandy'_s barriers have collapsed. Internal radiation levels rising. We have 2 minutes until serious crew injury, 2.57 minutes until levels are fatal."

"At our current acceleration we hit FTL in thirty seconds, Captain!" Joker said.

"Can you hit the relay safely at that speed?"

"On a _good_ day, it'd be tricky," he replied, never pausing as screens flashed with alarms all around him. "With no external sensors and these radiation levels- I'm good but I can't even _see_ the relay at this point! FTL is dangerous enough, I'm flying blind here! I could plant us right into a moon!"

"Forget the relay! Just keep the pedal down! FTL will have to be good enough!"

She felt Liara grip hold of her elbow as the ship shook again, a groaning shudder. EDI's voice filled her ears.

"FTL in three, two, _one_."

The ride immediately smoothed out as the _Normandy_ reached her top flight speed. Shepard released her grip on Joker's chair, stepping past Garrus and sliding into the secondary flight station, accessing the controls there.

"Radiation levels are dropping back into safe levels," EDI reported.

"I'm showing damage to several of our aft panels," Shepard said. "EDI, how fast can you get external sensors back online?"

"Some will need extensive repairs to regain functionality, however I believe I can reactivate enough to give us sufficient navigational readings. Two minutes."

"Do it. Joker, keep us at FTL."

"The longer we stay at FTL with no navigation, the greater our chances of running into-"

"_I know_! Keep us at FTL until we have navigation!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Never had Del spent a longer two minutes. Filing through internal scan after internal scan, she verified that every crewmember was accounted for and not seriously harmed, watching the radiation continuing to drop until it was back at acceptable levels.

"I have 75% of external sensors back on line," EDI said. "Navigation restored."

"Yes, good going EDI," Joker grinned, quickly clearing their immediate area and plotting a safe continuing course before relocking in to the galactic network. "Looks like we're clear for now, Shepard, though we took a rather wide sw-…_oh my God_! EDI, are these readings _right_? These readings _can't_ be right!"

"The readings are accurate, Jeff," EDI replied as Del drew them up for herself. Liara had rarely see the woman go pale, but the color seemed to drain almost instantly out of Shepard's face as she looked over the readings, her eyes wide. Joker looked at her, his voice shaking.

"Captain…what did you _do_?"

"What? What's happened?" Liara asked.

Rising abruptly, Del strode past, running for the CIC. Alarmed, both Garrus and Liara ran after her.

"What's happening?" Garrus asked as Del reached the galaxy map.

"Joker, keep us on FTL until we are at a safe range. Did all the rest of our ships get out through the relay?" Del asked as she drew up the map.

"Y-yeah, looks like the other ships made it to the rendezvous. Our communications and QEC are on the fritz still, EDI's working on it. The fleet isn't going to know we made it out of there until we can restore coms. Captain-..."

"I _know_, Joker. Keep us going, we're not safe just yet. Direct us back at the Pho relay and get us to the rendezvous. Two hours."

"Yes, ma'am."

Liara stepped up onto the promontory next to Shepard, looking at the flashing red alert flags on the galaxy map. She felt her own face go pale as she saw what had happened.

"H-how is this _possible_?"

"I don't know," Del replied. "I…I had no idea that cinch could even _do_ this."

"The amount of energy needed, even for a red giant-"

"I know."

Baffled, horrified, the two women stood in silence for a long moment, trying to make themselves believe the truth right in front of them.

Shepard had worried the cinch did not contain enough power to compromise the eezo core…she had been badly mistaken. Upon release of its energy, the cinch had not only destroyed the station, but it seemed it had set off a massive spherical reaction wave of dark energy throughout the entire system…a wave they had barely outrun.

That wave had just struck the surface of Anadius, and if the display could be believed, the star was in the process of collapsing.

"EDI, how is…what's going on?"

"My information is somewhat limited due to the damaged sensors. I am trying to extrapolate the data I am receiving through the _Normandy's_ systems, as well as that returned by the external galactic net. At this time, I can only give you the most likely explanation, but I cannot verify my hypothesis."

"_Just tell me!"_

"We are unfamiliar with the cinch technology. We know it contains and releases biotic energy, but we do not know the capacity of the device. Dr. T'Soni's own observations have indicated that while a capacity likely exists, it may be great enough as to be immeasurable by our own technology. Her research has also found no known means by which the cinch can be damaged. The cinch obeys the intent of the one that holds the control cube. It was your intent to release all the energy contained within the cinch."

Shepard nodded. "I was hoping it had saved enough of a charge to breach the core."

"Correct. However, it seems its charge was more than adequate- if not when it was inserted into the core, then very soon thereafter. It was gathering and storing dark energy from the core, beginning the moment it came into close contact with it, until the moment you discharged it. It is my belief, it is _still _doing so now."

"What?"

"The massive release of dark energy caused a chain reaction that continued to detonate the trace amounts of naturally occurring eezo in a large area around the station…say a distance of several hundred thousand kilometers. Negligible as this amount of eezo is, it seems to be enough to form a self-sustaining loop. The cinch is stuck in repeat. It released energy, detonated the core which released more, causing a reaction that detonated the surrounding area, releasing yet more. However, the cinch also automatically draws and contains dark energy as a matter of its natural function. In small discharge amounts, the return draw is nominal- for argument's sake, suppose it reabsorbs one percent of the amount of energy it releases. Normally, that is not enough to trigger a 'charged' status, and the cinch switches off its release, returning to its resting state.

"In this case, that one percent- for lack of a better term- is an astronomical amount. It is enough to 'fool' the cinch into believing it is not fully drained. It perpetually continues releasing its reabsorbed energy without activating its cutoff switch. The more it sends out, the more is drawn back into it, in an ever expanding reaction loop that is continuing to trigger the trace amounts of natural dark energy in an ever expanding sphere. That sphere has now encountered the corona and surface of Anadius, and is rapidly heading for the star's core. When it is breeched, the star will fully collapse, resulting in a supernova that will destroy the entire system."

Shepard felt cold. Her voice sounded remarkably calm to her own ears, and seemed to speak at the end of a long tunnel. "EDI…this reaction will stop, won't it? If I use the cube, can I stop the discharge I ordered?"

"We are at too great a distance from the cinch for the cube to be of use," Liara said. She sounded numb.

"Dr. T'Soni is correct. The _Normandy_ would be destroyed long before approaching equitable distance for the cube to be effective. However, the reaction is not unending. Eventually, the energy output of the cinch and the return draw it is absorbing will reach a balance. When that occurs, it will become stable, and the sphere of destruction will collapse to a measurable horizon. If my earlier guess of one percent draw is accurate, only the Anadius system will be affected. Most likely my guess is generous: the true redraw factor may only be a fraction of a percent, in which case, the zone will be much smaller. Also a possibility- the Anadius supernova will collapse into a black hole upon completion of its energy expenditure. The cinch may be indestructible from any means _we_ can devise, but it remains highly unlikely the gravity well of a black hole will allow it to survive."

"Thank the Goddess Anadius was a dead system," Liara said. Del nodded grimly. Shocking as it was, a local, contained, quarantined phenomenon like a black hole or even a weird dark energy feedback sphere was a hell of a lot easier to deal with than the destruction of an inhabited system.

"What possessed you to remove that cinch, anyway?" Garrus asked. Del turned to look at him. The turian didn't look accusatory, only confused. "Eír is incredibly, biotically _dangerous_. That cinch was the only thing keeping her tamed down. To remove it-"

"She was _unconscious_," Del said. "We were going to keep her just this side of alive with sedation, in the brig. Honestly, I didn't even expect we'd have to do _that_ for very long before she was _permanently_ made no longer a threat. Eír's shot destroyed the main network hub, which meant no programmable self-destruct. Someone would have to rig the core manually, which would have taken nearly an hour with a core that size, _or_ we'd have to try potshots at it with the _Normandy's_ gun. The cinch was the cleanest and fastest way on hand. If I had _any_ idea it would do _that_-!"

"I'm not meaning to question your decision, Shepard, I was just-"

She stepped down off the promontory, gripping his arm lightly a moment before she shook her head. "Get what repairs can be done underway while we're in FTL. Focus on communications so we can at least let the fleet know we're alive and on our way to the rendezvous. I want Hackett on the QEC the moment it's possible."

"Of course, Shepard."

She headed for the lift, Liara following closely. Almost as soon as the doors closed on them, Del lowered her head and slammed her fist into the wall, before covering her eyes.

"Shepard," Liara whispered, taking gentle hold of her.

"I made a bad call, Li. I made a goddamn _bad call_."

"You were dealing with unknown, unresearched, _ancient_ technology, Shepard. No one could have predicted what happened."

"I'm not talking about _that_," Del said angrily, though she knew Liara already knew that. "I'm talking about _Eír_. I should have goddamn _killed_ her when I had the shot. I know she's your sister, I know this isn't all her fault but I should have _goddamned killed her_!"

Liara's own eyes were aqueous, but her voice remained soft and even. "Then why did you not? What stayed your hand? I know that physically _I_ did, but that did not have to stop you. You could still have done so regardless of my hesitations. My misgivings on anything have never stopped you from doing what you know must be done before, why this time?"

"You're saying I should have killed her?" Del asked. "You're saying I should have just killed your unconscious sister right in front of you?"

"I am saying nothing of the sort. I am asking why you did _not_. Was it just because I was there? You could have asked me to leave, ordered me away. Whether or not you thought I would obey, you could have done so…yet you did not. Why?"

"Why do you care _why_?"

"Because you cannot be questioning yourself, Del! Now, more than ever, you _need_ to be certain of _everything_ you do, _every_ order you give, and _every_ action you pursue! You and those that follow you cannot afford any amount of second-guessing and personal doubt. _Why did you not kill her_?"

"_Because she killed Kasumi_! Because I wanted to kill her _so badly_ that it frightened me! If you hadn't stopped me I'd have hacked her into pieces with that dagger…an unarmed, unconscious _child_! I'd have made her suffer, and I'd have _reveled in it_- and the realization of that _scared the shit out of me_, Liara! I didn't kill her because I am _very goddamn certain_ that if you hadn't grabbed my wrist, I'd have become a _goddamn monster!"_

Liara's lashes fluttered faintly, but she did not look away from Del. Slumping back against the lift wall, Shepard seemed to deflate, lowering her head.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said softly.

"Like what?" Liara asked.

"Like you love me," Del replied.

Liara stepped forward and took her shoulders. "I _do_ love you, Del…and I need you to listen to me right now."

Shepard glumly looked at her, still filthy and cut up and haggard, her eyes rimmed red.

"You are no _monster_, Shepard. I do not know if you would have killed Eír or not had I not stopped you, any more than I can be sure that stopping you was the right thing to do. I feel more and more unsure of so _many_ things, but one thing I have _never_ been unsure of is the fire inside of you. Perhaps you made a mistake, and perhaps it was not so much a mistake as it may seem at the moment. If you did, it is only because you are so perfectly, so wonderfully, so undeniably _human_. It is that very thing, that _humanity_, which has done the impossible so far, and _will_ put an end to this war. I do not know if the Reapers can be defeated, but I _do_ know that they fear. They fear _you_, because you will never _quit_."

Shepard sighed. She felt unbelievably drained. Perhaps it had been a mistake to uncinch Eír. Perhaps it had been the wrong call to make to let Liara stop her from killing her. Changing either of those things would not bring Kasumi back. It would not end this war, nor change what she still had to do one iota. She had to put it behind her, focus on the here and now a bit longer. She couldn't collapse in front of her men. She couldn't expect them to follow her if she couldn't be confident in her choices, right _or_ wrong.

As Liara embraced her, she unconsciously leaned forward, setting her forehead against the asari's as was her habit. This time, however, the motion burned pain through her face as it pressed on the large gash that was still untreated. She hissed between her teeth, wincing a little.

Liara drew back with a look of concern. "Helen needs to look at you."

"Just needs cleaned up, sealed. No big deal."

"Then it will not take long," Liara said. She searched Del's dark eyes, feeling relief as she saw that familiar conviction had returned. Leaning in, she lightly kissed the captain's cheek, carefully placing it on an unwounded patch of skin. Del momentarily slipped an arm around her waist, holding her a moment. No one could say how many of these moments they had left, and she savored this one as much as she was able.

Kasumi was gone. From the moment they'd met, Kasumi had been more than just a subordinate contract-for-hire. She'd been a good friend, determined to help Del find her lost Liara and rejoicing happily to see them reunited. She'd been an ear to confide it, and a kindred less-than-pristine spirit to rely on. The ache of her loss joined the crowd of other ghosts, other departed friends, that had carved holes in her heart.

Each of them had died to bring this war to an end. Each had sacrificed to make sure they won, and Del _wasn't_ going to let them down.

* * *

Chakwas picked the rest of the tiny shards of plastic and glass from Del's face before cleaning and treating the gashes. Shepard had long enough after the treatment to duck her head into a sink and rinse the dried blood and medi-gel from her hair, before EDI informed them that the QEC was back up, and that they had a successful connection with Hackett.

Liara still at her side, she finger-combed her wet hair back as she crossed the war room, stepping into the QEC.

Though Hackett was as stoic as always, even he could not hide the faint trace of relief in his voice as he caught sight of her. "Shepard, good to see you and the _Normandy_ still in one piece. We thought we'd lost you."

"It was a close thing, sir. Was EDI able to forward you the report on what happened?"

"Yes, and it's frankly astonishing, Del. You told Alliance Command about these strange cinch devices but I never dreamed one could be so destructive. Relay reports are showing the supernova is trending toward a black hole, but it's far too early to be completely certain. The dark energy signatures in that sector are enormous."

"None of us dreamed of this outcome either, or I would have acted much differently."

"I'm just grateful –as _you_ are, no doubt- that we didn't lose any ships or populated worlds to that disaster. Still, the Anadius system is stabilizing and will have to wait. We have far more pressing matters on our plate. You heard about the Citadel?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's heading to Earth in the middle of an entire armada of Reaper ships. At its current speed, we estimate it will be in Earth orbit in less than an hour. The Crucible is ready for relocation, and all our forces are amassing as we speak here in the Traction system. This is the final countdown, Shepard. We'll know if we've won or lost this war in the next seventy-two hours."

"What's the plan?"

"Rendezvous with us at Traction. You're still at least an hour out from the Pho relay, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"By the time you get here we should be ready. I'll forward mission instructions to your helm as you arrive, and with any luck, _Normandy's_ engines won't have a chance to hit idle before we're moving on Earth. We're going home, Shepard. We've done everything we can to be ready for this, _you_ more than anyone. The war ends here, and once we hit that relay to Earth we're not stopping until it's won, or we're dead. If you have anything you need to put in order, I suggest you do it. Hackett out."

Del watched the image fade, standing in silence, her eyes focused inward. After a moment, Liara reached out and took her hand.

"Del?"

Shepard looked at her, a strange expression on her face for a moment, before she lifted the hand gripped in hers, and kissed Liara's knuckles.

"You have a dress?" she asked. Startled by the odd question, Liara blinked.

"A…dress? I do not understand-"

"Marry me, Tianlán."

It was the intensity in her eyes that made Liara's heart seem to stop a moment, before it quickened again.

"_Now?" _

Shepard gripped her other hand. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Liara. If I die I'm going to my grave regretting a lot of things…but not marrying you is _not_ going to be one of them, dong ma?"

Tears flooded Liara's eyes, before she quite suddenly leaned forward, kissing Shepard hard. Breathlessly, she pulled back a moment later.

"A…a dress. Yes, I…it is not formal, I wore it in business meetings, but-"

"It'll do," Shepard said. Holding tight to Liara's hand, she strode out of the QEC and across the war room. "Razi is qualified to officiate a bonding ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Go get Nan, tell her to go up to the Nest. Get Razi, and get dressed. EDI!"

"Yes, Captain?"

"I want everyone that can be spared up in the CIC in half an hour exactly, _no exceptions_. Chakwas, Adams, Dees, _everyone_. If you're able to drive for a bit I want Joker there too, on his goddamn feet."

"Understood."

Pausing outside the lift, Del caught Liara's face in her hands, kissing her breathlessly a moment, then again, before drawing back only far enough to breathe. "I love you."

"I love you too," Liara said in reply, shaking as her fingers gripped Shepard's damp hair. Del smiled.

"Half an hour?"

"Half an hour."

Another quick kiss, and they parted ways, Shepard heading up to the Nest while Liara hurried toward the crew deck, her heart racing.

* * *

Shepard was in the shower when Nan arrived in the Nest. By the time she was dried and emerged into her quarters wrapped in a towel, the older woman had pulled her dress uniform from the closet and laid it out.

Crossing the room as Del came down the steps, the older woman immediately grabbed her up in a hug, her cheeks damp with tears. Del hadn't seen that particular bright, happy light in her eyes since Paul had passed.

"Oh, darling! Li told me! I am so…_oh!"_

Overwhelmed by emotion, she stepped back a pace, covering her mouth against what could have been a laugh or a sob. Del bent and kissed her temple, and Nan hugged her again, almost convulsively tight before she abruptly released her.

"Come now, enough blubbering!" she said, as if it were Del that was overwhelmed with giddy tears. "You have to get dressed!"

Shepard changed into her captain's dress blues. Though it had been delivered with her other uniforms when she'd been promoted, she'd never had cause to put it on. The boots and trousers were easy enough, but it seemed the tailed overcoat had a thousand gold buttons that needed fastening. Nan helped her when she realized Del's fingers were shaking, though hers were not faring so much better.

"Now don't be nervous," she said as she worked. "Nothing matters more than how much you two love each other. If you can face down drooling monsters the size of shuttles without batting an eye, _this_ should be cake."

Del smiled at her as Nan finished the buttons, straightening her epaulets and collar. The dress uniform was the only Alliance standard that still required a sword. Given that Del had been promoted in the field in a time of war, there had been no real ceremony, but the sword had been shipped to her right along with her uniforms and captain's pips. A rapier, it was handled in gold, bound with black silk and gold braid. As the uniform, she had never put it on or even really touched it before now. It felt odd bound around her waist, Nan cinching it as Del tugged on her white silk gloves.

Fussing a little bit more until she was absolutely sure every detail was perfect, Nan slowly withdrew her hands, eyes flooding with tears again as she covered her mouth. Concerned, Del knit her brows.

"Nan?"

"I just…I just wish that Paul could be here, that he could see you. He'd be…oh, he'd be _so happy_ for you, Del. You look _so_…"

Feeling her own eyes heat, Del hugged the shorter woman tightly. "I could say thank you a thousand times," she said roughly. "It would never be enough. You've done so…you've done so _much_ for me, Nan. More than I can ever dream of repaying. If it wasn't for you…"

She cleared her throat roughly, blinking rapidly as she loosened her hold, straightening again self-consciously. Nan leaned up and kissed her cheek, before taking her shoulders. "I am just glad I got to see one of my precious babies get married," she said, then sniffled, wiping her eyes before she tugged at her finger. "Now, _here…_"

Del's eyes widened, and she caught hold of Nan's hands as the woman drew off her wedding ring. "What? No, Nan, that's _too_ much-"

"Stuff and nonsense, girl! You can't marry her without a _ring_, for goodness sake! Jason died a long time ago. I know that if he had known you, he'd have loved you even more than I do. I can feel him and Paul both smiling down on us right now. Nothing could ever make me happier, Del, than for you to put this ring on your Tianlán's finger. _Take it_. No arguments."

She pressed the ring into Del's gloved hand, folding her own around it as if to prevent her giving it back. Meeting Shepard's eyes she said, "You _love_ her, you hear me? For as long as you have and as hard as you can, _you __**love**__ her._ You do _that_, and nothing else matters."

* * *

When Del stepped into the CIC, nearly every face aboard the _Normandy_ was there, gathered around the galaxy map and center console, and spilling halfway down toward the helm. It was clear that some of them had already heard what was going on, but most faces were confused to see Del in her dress uniform.

Del could feel her palms sweating beneath her glove, her left hand still gripping Nan's ring so tightly it was almost painful.

Nan broke from her side as Del stepped up on the map promontory. Though the tears had momentarily stopped, the older woman quickly gravitated to William's side and took her hand, gripping it tightly. Surprised, Ash leaned over.

"What's going on?" she whispered, but Nan's tighter grip was her only answer.

Standing straight, her hands tucked against the small of her back, Del looked every inch the marine captain that she was. The murmuring whispers had died away when she appeared, and the silence over the crew now was thick and apprehensive.

"If I may have your attention please," Del said, as if every eye were not already fixed on her. Near the lift, at the back of the crowd, Razi had appeared, holding little Anaida's hand. Del met her eyes and the asari priestess gave her a slight nod. Del cleared her throat.

"Very shortly we are due to hit the Pho relay and rendezvous with our gathered forces at Traction. Waiting for us will be not only the Alliance fleet, but the ships and forces of every sentient species that calls this galaxy home. Turians, krogan, rachni, asari, quarians, geth, salarians, the volus, hanar and elcor- _thousands_ of ships of every stripe, from military to merc, from medical vessels to heavy bombadiers. Very shortly after our rendezvous, we will receive instructions from Admiral Hackett, and then these ships and these crews…_this_ ship and _this_ crew…will be moving out en masse. Our destination? _Earth_."

Though no verbal cheer went up, Del could still feel it. There wasn't a soul in the room, hers included, that wasn't rushing over with relief and determination that they were finally heading there, finally heading to confront this impossible threat face-to-face. No more diplomacy. No more skirting the galaxy while their enemy harvested their homes and families like so much wheat. Now…they were going to _fight_.

"You are my crew. You are my friends, you are my _family_. Some of us have been on the _Normandy_ from the beginning. Some are new arrivals. Others _are_ the ship."

She smiled briefly at EDI, whose chassis was standing beside Joker, though she was simultaneously piloting the ship on its course for the relay. EDI smiled faintly in return, giving a nod that could only be described as happily bashful. Joker smiled at her and took her hand. Del looked back at the gathering and continued.

"I am honored to serve beside each and every one of you, and I can think of nobody else I would rather have here, right now, _today_."

She paused only a moment, clearing her throat and, if anything, standing straighter.

"As captain and commander of this ship, I have military authorization from the Prime Minister, the Fleet Master, and the Systems Alliance to perform marriage and bonding ceremonies. However, there is one such ceremony I _cannot_ officiate- my own. Fortunately we have on board an asari priestess who has graciously agreed to do so. If you please?"

As she held her hand out, the group parting with a rumble of surprise as Razi made her way through to the promontory, Ash gripped Nan's hand tighter once again.

"She's getting _married_?" she asked in surprise.

Razi surrendered Anaida's hand to Dr. Chakwas, brushing her fingers lightly over the young girl's crest as she continued on her way, walking to the base of the steps before turning to face the crowd, lifting her hands. As she spoke, silence fell again.

"Goddess look down upon us this day," she said. "Let us never be without your light."

She lowered her hands and looked at Shepard. "Do you petition for the hand of a daughter of Athame?"

"I do," Shepard said.

"What is the name of the daughter you seek?"

Del clasped her hands tighter in the small of her back, trying to halt their trembling. She had not really researched asari bonding ceremonies…hell, she knew little enough about _human_ weddings. Still, so far, things seemed straight forward enough. Clearing her throat she said, "Liara T'Soni."

Razi nodded and lifted her voice. "Liara T'Soni, you have been petitioned."

From her hidden spot near the lift, Liara walked out into the open. The business dress she wore was of a fairly standard, if fashionable, asari style. Dark red, fronted with panels of white and beige outlined in black, Del had seen the same type of dress a thousand times, on a thousand different asari. Right at this moment, however…the dress and the asari wearing it were the most beautiful things she had ever laid her eyes on.

Liara walked with the same confidence she would have used upon striding into a board room, the group gathered around shifting a bit further to make a clear path between her and the galaxy map. She paused halfway down this path, speaking to Razi though her eyes were firmly fixed to Del. Of everyone there, only Nan noticed the way she lightly gripped the sides of her long skirt to still the tremble in her own hands.

"I am here," she said.

A sudden wet sniffle sounded beside Ashley, and her free hand was gripped. "This could be us," Yoh whispered, his gruff voice damp with emotion and dreamy with imagination. Ash gave him a quick _shh_, but made no move to release his hand, turning her eyes back to the asari.

"You are Liara T'Soni?" Razi asked.

"I am," came the answer.

"Captain Delilah Shepard has asked to join her house with yours, under the sight of Athame. What is your response?"

A faint smile, almost sly, appeared on her face. Walking forward again, she passed Razi and stepped up on the promontory, reaching out her right hand. Del mirrored the action, taking it with her own, both instantly gripping tight. Liara met her eyes with a mischievous twinkle.

"I _suppose_ she'll do."

Laughter rumbled through the crowd as Del first blinked, then broke into a wide grin, chuckling as the tension broke. Razi smirked, shaking her head, joining in.

"Dr. T'Soni, you will have to do better than _that_."

Liara colored and laughed, looking down at her their joined hands. Del leaned forward slightly, and for a moment their foreheads rested together once more. The crowd seemed to melt away, all sound and sight apart from them vanishing, until they were the only two in the universe. Del didn't realize it, but Liara's eyes had turned black, drawing them into a meld. As the asari spoke, her voice sounded both distant- and as if it echoed right from Del's own heart.

"My heart is her heart. My soul is her soul. My life is her life. Del Shepard, I love you more than words can speak. We have fought together, known pain and joy, sorrow and incredible happiness. Before I met you, I did not know what it was to live. Because of you, I am forever changed. Under sight of Athame, in view of our family and friends, I declare that we are now and forever one."

To those watching, from the moment Liara's hand had clasped Del's, a ribbon of biotic energy had wound over her forearm, twisting over their joined hands and across Del's arm as well, symbolically binding them together. This was not Liara's doing but Razi's, her hand outstretched as Liara spoke.

In the depths of their own world, Del felt Liara's faint prod and knew it was her turn to speak. She had a moment of renewed nerves, thinking frantically of what to say.

_She doesn't care about eloquence or fancy poetry. She cares how you __**feel**__. _

She took a shaking breath, letting her nerves go.

"Liara T'Soni…if I have one light in my life, it's you. I could forge across a thousand battlefields just for the hope of seeing you smile. I cannot in a million years understand what I did to deserve you, and if I said nothing but thank you from now until my dying breath, it would still not be gratitude enough for what I've been given. I love you. I love you. We are forever one."

Razi began to speak again, some prayer or another, but her voice faded away from Del's hearing. She could feel Liara's spirit with hers, literally _feel_ the love that the asari had for her, just as she knew Liara could feel her love in return. It took her breath away.

After too brief a moment, reality started to filter in again as Liara reluctantly withdrew a little, resisting deepening the Joining any further. Razi's voice and the CIC drew back in around them, and Del closed her eyes a moment as she fully settled back into herself, already lamenting the separation.

"Captain, it is my understanding that it is a common human custom to bestow a token?" Razi said. Still distracted, Del blinked and half glanced at her.

"Hmm?" Token? What token? Then realization dawned, heating her cheeks slightly. "Yes, I have it."

Her left hand was still clenched around the ring, so hard she would not be surprised if the curve of metal had imprinted itself forever in her skin. Loosening her hand, she drew it forward, releasing Liara's right hand in order to take her left. Carefully, she slipped Nan's ring over the asari's finger, sliding it into place.

Liara looked at it in surprise, before her eyes lifted to Del's again. Shepard managed a lopsided grin, and a weak shrug.

Razi nodded. "It is done. What has been joined cannot be sundered. With Athame's blessing, Captain Shepard, Dr. T'Soni- you are now and forever bonded as one. I believe there is a final human custom-"

"_Kiss her_!" Someone suddenly shouted. It sounded suspiciously like Garrus. The crew broke out into laughter and then echoing calls. Del let out an embarrassed laugh as Liara colored, ducking her head and smiling.

Shaking her head, Del gave Garrus a look, then pulled Liara close, dipping in and capturing blue lips with her own. The calls and chants turned into loud cheers and applause, someone letting out a wolf-whistle.

The kiss broke, and Del looked into Liara's eyes, making no move to loosen her hold. Liara's smile was small but beautiful to behold, tears glossing her eyes.

"_Hello, my love_," she whispered happily. Del smiled in return.

"_Hey, Sky Blue_."


	79. Chapter 79

Dark streams of purple blood stained the asari's shoulder, as shaking fingers managed to disengage the small ship from the station airlock. Cradling her wounded arm against her, Eír was breathing in wet, tense puffs, her eyes swimming with the tears that were smudging her cheeks.

The transport broke away, bathed blood red in the light of Anadius, and she clenched her eyes shut, trying to steady her spinning head. She'd lost quite a bit of blood from her wounded arm, and what felt like a few cracked ribs were restricting each breath. Emotion wasn't helping, only adding to the constriction, and she was on the verge of hyperventilation.

Scans showed that a dozen ships, most of them turian, were fleeing the system, hitting the relay. She input a course for the relay herself, knowing the red giant's radiation would hide the tiny transport from their instruments for at least a little while.

_Coward…coward_, she thought, and broke down into sobs again. Her knees went weak, and she sagged into a sit, half slumping against the console.

No more perfect moment had ever been presented to her. Completely unaware she was there, Shepard had turned right toward her, open and vulnerable…and Eír had messed it up. How that second shot hadn't hit its mark right in the middle of that bitch's insufferable face was beyond her.

_What demon is it that keeps her alive? That keeps saving her? Why? __**Why **__can I not just end this pain?_

_Sweet thing…_

_No. __**No**_.

Her spirit shrunk away from Shrive. Spirit, memory, or psychosis, the touch of her dead bondmate was too much agony to endure right now. With aching effort, the sensation faded away.

The Illusive Man had tricked her. Discovering that she was trying to find his base, he was no doubt the source of the information that lead her right to it. Manipulative and callous as he was, he had put her there on purpose, a tool in his hand, used to put a stop to Shepard.

And why not? Eír had been a tool from the moment she was conceived. A tool of murder and revenge. Attempting to fight it had lost her everything. When Misira had cast her away from the only hope of home she had left, Eír had finally surrendered. It was futile to fight it. She would fulfill her purpose, and then like any other tool that no longer had use, she would go away. Go away from this hard, painful, agonizing life and, if there was any sort of rightness in this universe at all, she would finally find peace- finally be back in the arms of her beloved Shrive.

So yes, she could somewhat forgive the Illusive Man's trickery. It had served to put Shepard right in front of her, after all. It had handed the unsuspecting human to her on an open platter.

And _still_ she had failed to kill her. _Still,_ she could find no peace.

She barely heard the auto-pilot announce that it had hit the relay, following on the tail end of the last of the turian ships. The faint change in the deck beneath her as the small transport was sent at quantum speeds was unnoticed. She hadn't even put in a destination; the auto-pilot had simply locked on to the same destination as the vessels it pursued.

Exhausted from her wound, emotion, and the fight on Cronos, Eír fell into a fitful doze. The little transport appeared at the fleet rendezvous and continued on, floating without guidance or trajectory into the huge gathering of vessels.

It wasn't until a few minutes later, when a voice crackled over her com, that Eír startled to full wakefulness again.

_{Independent transport, please identify.}_

She blinked in confusion, staring at the console as if it had turned into a vykis ready to attack.

_{Independent transport, this is troop carrier _Nelvectus_, you are sailing without navigation, are you in need of aid?}_

That was a turian voice, and a turian ship name. Realizing she had no idea where she was, Eír struggled to her feet, peering out her view screen.

The sight took her breath away, and for a moment she forgot about her wound, about her grief, and about Del Shepard.

_{Independent transport, this is the _Nelvectus_. Please respond. Are you in need of aid?}_

Her fingers fumbled for the console, answering the communication. "N-Nelvectus…this is…"

What did she do? What _could_ she do?

_You cannot give them your real name._

"Th-this is Dovie Oro," she said, selecting a fairly common asari first name and an obscure Thessian House. News of the attack on Thessia had not passed her by, and she knew that everything there was in utter chaos. It would be almost impossible to verify her identity.

_{This is Commander Kilv. You are flying without navigation, Oro, in extremely hazardous space- do you need assistance? Scans are showing your transport is not damaged-}_

"I am injured," she said, shakily correcting her course. "I-I must have passed out just before I came through the relay…"

_{We are starboard of your position. Give us access to your helm and we will take you in.}_

She had no other recourse. If she refused, they'd want to know why. Getting away was out of the question…not only could the _Nelvectus_ take her down without even moving position, she was surrounded by literally thousands of other ships capable of the same. Her only hope was to keep suspicion down as much as possible and try to blend into the woodwork.

She opened her helm access, and a moment later the transport turned toward the enormous carrier, heading toward an opening cargo bay. Sitting against the helm, almost unconsciously holding her wounded arm, she thought frantically.

This was clearly some sort of combined forces rendezvous, perhaps for a massive attack against the Reapers. They would be expecting ships to come in from all over the galaxy.

Shepard herself would no doubt be coming here, if she wasn't here already.

And if they did discover who she really was? Being stood against a wall and shot hardly seemed like a horrible fate right about now.

Shadow passed over her view screen as she was drawn in to dock, a faint bump following shortly thereafter. Struggling to her feet, she managed to get the door open, half a dozen turians striding toward her as she weakly stepped out.

One, wearing a red band around her upper arm, hurried forward. "I'm Dr. Sill," she said, gently taking hold of Eír. "Let's get you up to Medical to be treated."

Eír nodded weakly, allowing herself to be lead, trying not to stare around the huge bay. There was bustle everywhere. Most were turians, but she saw at least two large clusters of krogan, all dressed for heavy combat.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Sill said. "We have five hundred krogan foot-soldiers on this transport, along with our own troops. It's going to be quite a sight when we reach Earth."

"Is…that where we are going?" Eír asked.

"Yes, within the hour we hope. We're still waiting for final orders and a few more ships to come in…you didn't know that?"

"I…our frigate was on its way here. Most of us were refugees, the commander hadn't told us where we were going. We were attacked near the Titan relay. I just managed to make it into that transport before the frigate…I just let the auto-pilot go through the relay."

The turian looked at her with sympathy. "Hopefully others were able to launch in lifeboats, and will make it through. For now, let's get you treated and comfortable."

Eír fell silent, and fortunately Sill asked no more questions. So long as she acted like just a regular, shell-shocked refugee with no real idea what was happening, the better. Everyone had bigger things on their minds right now, too focused on the coming battle with the Reapers to worry about one lone, wounded asari.

* * *

There were only a few minutes for Shepard and Liara to accept congratulations before EDI alerted Jeff that they were nearing their final approach for the relay.

Del, clinging to the asari's hand, gave the tearful Nan one more hug as Joker hurried up toward the helm. Reluctantly, she released the older woman, then lifted her voice.

"All right people, that's it. I need everyone at ready stations. Civilians to the lower decks."

As the crew started to disperse, Navis headed their way, her eyes darker with the evidence of tears only momentarily abated. She hugged Liara tightly first, then Del. As she released the captain, the tears had renewed.

"I am so happy for you both," she said, though it was clear that under her joy were shadows of grief…shadows of Sydney.

"I'm glad that you were able to be here, Dees," Shepard told her.

"I just wish…"

"I know," she replied gently. Li reluctantly released Del's hand, putting an arm around Navis's shoulders.

"Come, we need to get below-decks," she said, then looked back at Del. "I will get her settled and get changed, then I will return."

Del nodded, watching the pair go before letting out a breath. Already, the peace was over. It was back to reality, back to war. She would have to wait to change her own clothes until after they'd received their mission updates.

She headed up to the helm, approaching just as Joker started the countdown for ship relay. EDI was seated beside him at the secondary station, and looked up at Shepard.

"Congratulations, Captain."

"Thank you, EDI," Del said.

"…two, one…_mark_."

There was that odd, faint shift in the deck, as outside the view screens everything shifted with the relayed acceleration. Almost as quickly as it happened, they snapped back into normal space, and Joker whistled.

"_There's_ a sight for you, Shepard. Something to tell the grandkids."

Traction was a white dwarf system with a single satellite: a moon that was more or less a massive, uneven asteroid that had established a stable orbit. In and of itself, Traction was completely unremarkable, but the star and its ugly moon were not what Joker was referring too.

Ships. Tens of thousands of ships seemed to fill space as far as could be seen. Volus bombardment fleets lumbered through smaller, faster Alliance frigates and cruisers. Turian and Asari lightships swam in regal sedation amongst shoals of fighters of every stripe…some of which looked brand new, and suspiciously like Del's poor lost Sabre.

A grand whale in this incredible ocean was the _Destiny Ascension_. It appeared mildly damaged- it must have just escaped the capture of the Citadel.

The fate of the great vessel had once been in Del's hands, years ago when Saren had attempted to usher in the Reaper's initial arrival. The Council had been able to evacuate to it then, and it had been Del's decision that had spared their lives, and the lives of ten thousand of its crew, though it had cost Alliance ships and soldiers. She wondered now if the Council had managed to evacuate again, and how many the _Ascension_ had managed to save from the Citadel before it was taken…if any.

_Millions of people call that station home_, she thought. _Right now, those millions could all be prisoners of the Reapers and the Illusive Man…or worse- mutated by his perverse idea of indoctrination, or made into husks._

Massive as the _Ascension_ was, it would normally dominate any such scene…but not here. Dwarfing even that grand ship was an enormous structure, from stem to stern nearly longer than the very moon it orbited.

The Crucible.

Clustered with science and construction ships, no fewer than seven Alliance heavy cruisers kept close guard, the structure a hive around which shuttles, fighters, and smaller transports buzzed like busy bees.

One of the cruisers was Hackett's own flagship, the _Orizaba. _Flanking it were three other vessels just about half the size, but incredibly strange in construction. They looked like tangles of driftwood, more reminiscent of Collector vessels than the more traditional designs of the other species.

_Rachni ships_, she thought.

"Incoming transmission from the _Orizaba_," Joker said. As Del nodded, he activated the com.

_{Shepard, glad you and the __**Normandy**__ made it. Final preparations are still underway. I am forwarding our mission data and orders to your war room. Right now our departure for the Sol system is scheduled for 16:45- you have half an hour.}_

"Understood sir, thank you."

_{Take a good look around, Del. This is what months of hard work looks like, and it's all thanks to you.}_

"It is…the view is incredible, sir."

_{Enough with the 'sir'. I have a feeling after all this mess is over, I'll be the one saluting __**you. **__Signal will be going out for the relay jump soon. Hackett out.}_

"Data has been received," EDI said.

"All senior personnel to the war room," Del ordered, turning and heading that way. "We have a lot to go over and a short time to do it."

* * *

"The most recent intel we have from Earth indicates that the Citadel is now in close orbit, directly above the city of London, England. It is sealed shut. No communications of any kind have been received from anywhere aboard the station since it was taken, and we have received no replies from our attempts. The status of residents, refugees, and personnel aboard the station is completely unknown."

The holographic form of Earth looked small and beautiful, a glistening ghost of green and blue light. Less beautiful were the red signatures of the Reaper ships in orbit…thousands of them. Most were the smaller and far more common destroyers, but there were still hundreds of Sovereign-Class, and Shepard had no doubt Harbinger was among them.

The Citadel –closed, it rather resembled an old-fashioned armor-piercing bullet- slowly swung around the planet, surrounded by the enemy.

"At 16:45, a little over ten minutes from now," Del continued, "The bulk of this multi-species fleet will begin relay travel to the Sol system. A small escort of vessels, including the _Orizaba_, will remain here with the Crucible. Once we reach Earth, this fleet will part into two groups. The larger group, codenamed _Sword_, will engage the Reaper fleets in orbit and attempt to secure access to the Citadel. The smaller group, codenamed _Hammer_- led by the _Normandy_ and flanked by the 9th Volus bombardment corps- will continue to rendezvous locations groundside just outside of London. Heavy infantry will be off-loaded as the volus ships begin tactical bombardment of any vessel-class Reapers or pockets of enemy ground forces."

She touched a command, the holograph shifting in on the representation of Earth until a map of London was displayed. Rendezvous points flanking the city were illuminated.

"Our ground forces will join with Earth Alliance and civilian resistance forces that are already dug in around the city. Once our troops are dropped off, the ships of Hammer will provide support both dirt-side and with Sword: evacing injured, strafing key objectives, and running personnel."

She looked up from the graphic to the cluster of eyes watching her intently, leaning on the console. "We have only one primary objective: get the Crucible to the Citadel. Sword is not intended to defeat the Reapers gun to gun, only to engage them and draw them away from the station, keep them clear. Once there is a free path, Hackett and his escort ships will bring the Crucible through the relay and get it to the station."

She cleared the London image, and the Citadel appeared instead.

"The Crucible is designed to juncture with the Citadel at a key location, here. Unfortunately, with the station closed, it cannot reach this junction. The station must be boarded and the arms opened to allow the Crucible to dock."

"Is there a team going to Ilos?" Liara asked, looking up from the image. "The Conduit-"

"Is not an option, unfortunately," Shepard replied. "Forces could access the Conduit from the Ilos location, however the security field around the Citadel relay on the Presidium must be assumed to be intact. Anyone trying to enter the station from that venue would be destroyed immediately upon arrival."

"Then how do we get anyone aboard?" Garrus asked. "Sealed, the station is impenetrable to our ships and technology."

"The Reapers themselves seem to have given us the answer," she told him. "Anderson's ground resistance has provided intelligence that some kind of transportation mechanism activated the moment the station reached its Earth orbit- an energy beam emanating from the station to a point in the middle of London, in what used to be Regent's Park. The Reapers are apparently using this energy beam to ferry prisoners and resources up to the Citadel. While we have no confirmable intelligence on what is happening on the Citadel itself to these prisoners or to the unfortunate souls aboard her when she was taken, the increasing number of husks that are returning back down this beam is a clear enough indication as to their fate. Hammer's objective, once the heavier Reaper forces in London are eliminated or drawn away, is to converge on this beam site. When the site is secured and accessed, Hammer will make efforts to retake the Citadel, get the arms of the station open, and allow Crucible to dock."

"What if it doesn't work?" Vega asked. "What if we manage to get it hooked up…and nothing happens?"

"It _will_ work," Shepard said sternly. "It is _going to work_. We _are_ going to win this, ladies and gentlemen. We've come too far and given too much for anything else. This is _our_ galaxy. I don't care how old or strong the Reapers are, how indestructible and godlike they _think_ they are, or how many cycles before now have fallen before them. They feel _fear_. I've _seen_ it. They _die_. _We've_ killed them. They can't hide from us, and we _are_ coming for them. The Crucible _will_ work. We _will_ send them back to whatever Hell they came from, and _we will __**win**_. Am I clear?"

A soft murmur of agreement rumbled around the room. Del straightened. "Good. Joker and a skeleton team will remain aboard the _Normandy_ after we reach the rendezvous. Everyone else that can hold a gun, I expect you to be suited up and ready to fight the moment we hit dirt. From this moment on, we are Hammer."

_{Captain, we have just received notification. Sword will begin its relay transmission to Sol in five minutes.}_

"Thank you Joker. Get the _Normandy_ in line. Everyone else, to ready stations. Dismissed."

* * *

Shepard headed up to the Nest, quickly changing out of her dress uniform and into a full hard-suit. Hefting her weapons pack on as she headed for the door, she paused as she heard a buzz come from her console. Almost the same instant, Joker spoke over the comm.

_{Captain, incoming transmission for you from the _Neema_.}_

Stepping back in, she accessed the call. "This is Shepard."

The voice was faint and weak, but unmistakable. "Hello, Jie Jie."

"_Tali? _What are you doing on the _Neema_? You can't be well yet, why are you not on Rannoch?"

"I was not going to be left behind, Shepard. I still have some recovering to do and I can't help much but…damn it, I can _be_ there."

"Tali-"

"Shepard, ever since you came to my rescue in that back alley, you have been my family. You have stood up for me, made me feel like part of the crew. Keelah, you gave us the home world back, made peace with the geth. If you can do all of _that_, then _I_ can lay in a static bed on the _Neema_ and monitor engine output. As I said…it's not much, but I had to be _here_. I'm seeing this fight through to the end."

Shepard shook her head. "You're something else, Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch."

"I had a good example," Tali replied. "I just wanted to wish you luck. In case we don't see each other again, Jie Jie…"

"We _will_ see each other again, Tali," Shepard said. "No good-byes, you hear me?"

There was a long, emotional pause. Then, "I hear you. Kick some ass, Shepard."

"Yes ma'am. Consider it kicked."

* * *

The _Normandy_ surged through the relay at Pluto, just one more ship on the incoming tidal wave that was still pouring through into normal space. By the time that she passed Jupiter, the lead ships of Sword were closing in on Earth orbit…and the Reapers were moving to meet them.

Standing at the galaxy map, Shepard was monitoring a dozen feeds as she opened communications with the ships under her purview.

"Hammer, this is _Normandy_. Do not engage the Reaper ships save as necessary. Let Sword do its job and get to the rendezvous points. Joker, let's mow a path as much as we're able."

Sword and the Reaper fleet were closing in on each other, several Reaper ships still remaining in guard around the Citadel. It was odd to see the station in orbit around Earth. Drawing up an outside feed, Shepard saw her home world for the first time since that fateful day in Vancouver.

Normally a beautiful orb of blue and green lightly wreathed in white, Earth was now a smudged ball of brown, blacks, and swirling grays. Occasional hints of ocean could be seen, or mountains, but the months of constant fighting and destruction had wreathed it in ash and debris. The global cloud would be blocking out the sun, dropping the temperature, and trapping most of the surface of the planet in a perpetual twilight.

The moon had clearly been a battlefield as well. What had been Luna base was a new crater, a dark and scarring pit. Chunks of the moon's surface had been torn free by heavy weapons and she now floated, lopsided and wounded, in a ring of her own rock and dust. No matter the outcome of this war, she would never again be the same.

"Sword is engaging hostiles," Haley reported from his station. "We have weapons fire."

Never had two such huge fleets engaged in a pitched battle. The scope of the field and the sheer amount of firepower out there, on both ends, was unimaginable. On the fringes of the fleet, medical, civilian, and communications vessels were all no doubt recording each and every shot. They were either making history…or witnessing the end of it.

As they reached the fringe of the battle, the _Normandy_ was instantly surrounded by flying ordinance, EDI and Joker both working in concert to guide the frigate safely through the deadly rain, a chaos of voices reporting from every direction.

"Captain, we have lost the _Terahoga_!"

"Three minutes to atmosphere."

"We have a destroyer closing in on our port!"

"Evasive maneuvers, get under her belly if you can!"

"The quarians are coming in to draw her off…the _Qwib Qwib_ has taken damage-"

"Keep on course! Hammer ships, one minute to atmosphere!"

"Captain, we have Reaper ships lifting off from Paris and Moscow toward an intercept!"

"Light 'em up as needed but _keep on_! Alert Sword we have incoming from the planet!"

"Captain, we have communication from London! Admiral Anderson!"

_{Shepard, we are reading three destroyers leaving their cities and heading directly for you!}_

"We are reading them too, Admiral! Pushing through! Hammer will be landing in London in five minutes!"

_{Shepard, you can't-}_

She switched the channel over to her ships. "Hammer, this is Shepard. We have three destroyers on intercept. Do _not_ engage! Continue to your rendezvous points! Joker, put us on a heading toward the nearest destroyer, we have to keep it off of Hammer until Sword can help us out. Heat up the main gun and send us in fast before she can get out of atmo!"

Their window was small. While they were in a planet's atmosphere, the shields on the Reaper ships were far weaker as their eezo cores had to allocate more energy toward maintaining their mass against gravity. If any of those destroyers made it to space, they would instantly become a hundred times harder to take out.

The _Normandy_ had just reached the upper levels of the atmosphere, as the first destroyer coalesced out of the dark clouds below. They had to ensure the troop ships made it successfully to the ground or this effort was done before it had even started.

The Thanix lit up as the frigate closed in, a sparrow sailing in to confront an eagle that was a bit too close to its nest. EDI had taken up the weapons suite, and each shot was swift and mathematically precise. The destroyer's shields flared and managed to throw off the first half dozen shots, the beast still pushing toward space. Red light filled the view screen as it returned fire, and the _Normandy_ shuddered a moment.

"Damage?"

"Nominal damage to our barriers, the shot missed us."

"Hammer status?"

"First wave has hit lower atmo, they are on their final approach to rendezvous. Four minutes until the rest of Hammer is groundside!"

"Keep it up, Joker! Let's show this fucker how we do things in New York!"

* * *

Liara was down on the lower decks. Fully hard-suited, she ensured that Razi and Nan were secure in the medical quarters with Dr. Chakwas, the pair helping the medics prepare for the inevitable incoming casualties. Little Anaida was in Liara's room with Navis, where Dees could at least monitor goings on and yet stay out of the direct fray. Much as Navis might wish too, Del had no intentions of letting the woman see combat, and putting Anaida in her charge was the easiest way to keep her from running off despite orders.

Once Liara was certain they were no longer in immediate need of her, she ran out of the infirmary and headed toward the cargo deck. The ride seemed to take an eternity, and almost unconsciously she felt out the ring underneath her glove, gripping it tightly a moment.

The doors parted and she hurried out. A dozen men, Cortez, Vega, and Riot among them, were opening the small arms and heavy weapons lockers, triple checking weapons, ammo, and ordinance and stacking out spare supplies. As Liara ran toward them, the _Normandy_ suddenly shuddered hard. The motion momentarily overrode the inertial dampeners and Liara left her feet, crashing to the ground.

Coughing, she felt hands helping her up and gripped on to Vega. The bay was now bathed in red light from the emergency flashers.

"Captain we have hull damage on the cargo level!" Cortez shouted. An extinguisher sounded.

"You ok, Blue?" Vega asked. She nodded, still coughing, and drew away from him, hurrying toward Cortez.

"Are we breached?"

"Minimally- barrier's in place but it blew the goddamn power juncture. I'm going to have to reroute it if we want to get the external doors open!"

"I have got it," she said, rushing to one wall and removing an access panel. Another tremble rocked the ship and almost immediately EDI's voice came over the comm.

_{Hostile is down and Hammer is at the rendezvous. ETA to landing, one minute.}_

* * *

Close and gray, a thin 'snow' of lazily drifting ash stirred up into whirlwinds as the _Normandy_ lowered out of the gloom. Lances of landing lights cut through the dust, lighting the withered and dying field as the wind bent the fragile stalks sharply. Several snapped off, clearing patches of dry dirt and sending shredded leaves and the pale yellow remnants of flowers skipping into the distance.

The frigate settled beside two volus carriers that formed part of Hammer. As _Normandy_ came to rest, the carriers were already opening their enormous bays, the rumble of vehicle engines beginning to rev from within.

Shepard strode off of the cargo ramp the moment it touched dirt, her boots crunching in debris from the field as her eyes turned skyward.

Home. Even groundside, it hardly looked like Earth.

Before the attack, this field had been lush and bright, spreading ranks of sunflowers nearly as far as the eye could see. Toward the west, it would have had a beautiful view of London- now all that could be seen was a black smear, the broken and ruined bones of once majestic buildings occasionally lit up by heavy ordinance fire.

She allowed herself only a moment to absorb the sight, before she touched her helmet, opening the channel to the Admiral as she waved the rest of her ground crew off the _Normandy_. "Anderson, we're groundside. Rendezvous One is off-loading vehicles and troops now."

_{We are receiving confirmation from the other rendezvous sites…looks like most of Hammer made it to the ground. You're only a mile from our perimeter, Shepard, but be advised you have hostiles heading your way. Foot troops.}_

"On it sir. Garrus! We have incoming hostiles! Let's get every boot on this dirt and weapons hot!"

Ashley came up to her shoulder, dropping her hand from her radio as she drew her rifle. "Gonna take a few moments for the troop carriers to finish emptying, ma'am. The elcor are going to be vulnerable until they're powered up."

"Understood. Vega! Get those vehicles to the front line, I want a breakwater between the offloading elcor and incoming hostiles!"

Unshipping her sniper, Shepard switched the scope to infrared, intending to scan the field and see if she could pinpoint the Reaper troops heading their way. As she stepped forward and started to lift it to her eye, her boot crunched on something.

Looking downward, she stepped back, then crouched and picked it up.

It was a toy, a broken model Alliance ship. As she turned it over in her hand, she suddenly remembered that day in Vancouver. She was standing in her secure room, watching that little girl in the training field. She'd had a toy like this one, swooping it around in careless circles…unaware that in less than an hour, her carefree and hopeful young life would be ended by a Reaper's MHD.

"Captain?" Ashley asked, spotting the toy in her hand, the look on her face. Del barely heard her, but when Haley called out a moment later, her head snapped up.

"Husks incoming at eleven o'clock!"

She tossed the toy aside, her sniper lifting to her shoulder again as the heavy armored tomkahs and smaller turret vehicles started past, their lights cutting through the dim evening light, reflecting the shifting sunflower stalks.

Fixing her scope on the first head she saw, she called out. "_All units open fire!"_

* * *

Krogan and turian infantry and the tomkahs were only the beginning of what the volus troop carriers had to offload. Over a hundred elcor strode in slow moving ranks off the bigger ships, each wearing nearly a ton in heavy armor and weaponry.

Del had heard that elcor military forces were often mocked, called 'living tanks' if the insulter was being kind…and 'beasts of burden' if they were not. However, all things considered, their armament for their soldiers was rather impressive.

Unable to handle or fire weapons in the conventional manner that most organics did, the elcor relied on extremely sophisticated holographic interfaces that were projected in front of their eyes via hovering transmitters. These interfaces could not only interpret certain eye signals but also were sensitive enough to read the pheromone production that the elcor used in most of their usual communication. It allowed them control automated systems to load, reload, aim, and fire the weapons slung on their armored sides with rather impressive accuracy. Given their sheer girth and mass, those weapons could be incredibly high caliber, the kind usually requiring a MAKO or a tomkah to fire.

Still, they were not fast moving, and it took several minutes for them to finish off-loading and to power up their battle interfaces.

By the time they had joined the battle, allowing the now empty carriers to lift off, a wide swath had been cut in the field, the husks driven back. Del ordered Joker to lift off and mow them a final path through the horde before going to reinforce the volus bombardment ships now moving into position over the distant city. Flames lifted in the wake of the Thanix blast as the ship swept low over the field, carving a road.

"Foot troops to either flank!" Del shouted as her ship headed into the distance, only a skeleton crew still aboard. "I want those tomkahs taking point, turret bikes to the rear!"

They started off toward the final rendezvous, a damaged prison just outside of London that had become Anderson's staging point HQ. Though it was just over a mile away, going would be slow in the increasing dark, with the bulk of their forces unable to go much faster than trotting speed. Yoh, the slowest of the lot, had climbed aboard one of the elcor with its permission, perching on its neck with his rifle in hand.

Occasional flashes of orange and white strobed among the turian troops that spread along their flanks, the spits of gunfire cutting down stray husks still forcing their way through the ruined field.

At one point, a harvester- those twisted dragon things that had tormented Shepard on more than one occasion- sailed out of the low ash, bearing down on them with little warning. Almost as quickly, one of the elcor nearby aimed and fired a rocket that drove almost perfectly into the thing's chest, the threat over in a single bright explosion that rained smoking, broken pieces down into the field.

"Nice shot!" Del said, impressed, looking at the elcor.

"Bashfully: Thank you Captain."

It wasn't until he spoke that she realized how young he was, his voice high and his size only about two thirds that of an adult. Looking around, she realized nearly half of the elcor in this group were the same. Liara, walking close at hand, came to the same conclusion almost simultaneously.

"Del," she said softly. "They are just children…"

Touching her radio, Shepard moved away from their hearing range, contacting the turian group commander in one of the tomkahs up ahead. "Federo, Shepard- these elcor are just children!"

_{They are of fighting age, Captain, according to their customs,}_ Federo replied. Despite his words he sounded no more comfortable than she did. _{They're not the only ones. Anyone of any species old enough to pick up a rifle is going to be putting blood into this war, most especially if we don't get that Crucible in place and end this soon.}_

Del lowered her head, looking back along the slow moving ranks. It was true. Much as it grated on her, it was true. The Reapers were hardly going to put off slaughtering or harvesting someone simply because of their age. Every gun in this battle was going to count.

Her eyes fell to an insectile form, hurrying along with the turret bikes toward the rear, and she felt her gut sink a bit more.

_Riot's a child as well, Del. Westmoreland, Cooper, Hardesty…they're barely more than that. Heck, Hardesty is only nineteen, fresh out of goddamn boot when the attack came. Focus it down, Del. It's just one more thing these goddamn Reapers are going to pay for. It's just one more reason to take them down, and take them down fucking __**now**__._

* * *

The prison was nearly a ruin, gaping holes in walls, crumbling stair-wells, and tangled fingers of twisted rebar bristling from broken concrete. The main yards had been cleared, a pair of mobile communication centers parked half in them, and half in the building itself. Cells and offices had been repurposed into sentry posts, makeshift barracks, an infirmary.

Shepard's newly arrived forces could not all fit within the ragged walls, but a good-sized camp had spilled in a wide area around the ruins as well. Everywhere, people were running, shouting orders, prepping vehicles, distributing weapons. In the distance, she could hear the deep booms of the bombardment ships…feel their destructive force in an almost constant rumble under her feet.

Shepard, Liara, Garrus, Yoh, Riot and Ashley cut through the bustling yard. Everyone they saw had the strain of the exhausted, dusted with gray until age, race, and even gender was all but impossible to distinguish. Some were walking wounded, still working on preparations despite limps, bound arms, bandaged wounds.

As they came through the crowd, however, Del noticed an increasing number of them were slowing or even stopping what they were doing, turning to stare at them.

She dismissed it as being due to Riot, the young rachni queen still an odd sight to most people. That is, until Liara touched her shoulder.

"Del," she said softly. Shepard looked at her, then followed the asari's gentle nod. Near a battered transport, a trio of young privates were staring at them. As Shepard looked their way, their hands slowly lifted into a salute.

Then a form emerged from the building, drawing eyes. Shepard recognizing the man solely by his stride before his features could even be distinguished. Reaching up, she shed her helmet, passing it to Liara as she picked up her step, clasping his hand a moment before they enveloped each other in a hug.

"Anderson, good to see you!"

"Good to see you too, Del," he said with a weary grin, slapping her lightly on the back. "In fact, you may be the best sight these old eyes have ever seen."

"I just wish I could have gotten back here sooner-"

"Listen to you- you show up with the entire galaxy at your heels- something no one ever thought possible- and you're only upset you didn't do it _faster._ You've done the incredible Shepard. Thanks to you, we're going to win this war."

"I hope so."

"I _know_ so. C'mon. We have a lot to go over and a short amount of time."

Looking past her he nodded to the others as they joined them. "Good to see you again, Dr. T'Soni. You too, Vakarian, Williams. I…"

He paused as he looked at the rachni. The volus standing next to it reached out his hand and rested it on her leg. "This is Riot," he said. "_My_ name is Yoh Etat."

"Pleased to meet you both. Still feels a bit strange. I'd heard about the rachni, I just never imagined…"

"We get that a lot," Del said as they followed him inside. Here, the bustle of the courtyard was not diminished, soldiers and civilians both hurrying down the hallways, carrying supplies or weapons, moving on a thousand different errands. As they entered what was clearly a control hub, a hollow-eyed, dark-haired man suddenly ran their way.

Shepard was just trying to figure out why he looked familiar when Ashley suddenly ran past her, tossing her helmet aside. He caught her as she flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"_David!"_

It clicked. When she'd heard from Anderson that the man was part of their civilian corp, she'd arranged a reunion between the two…holographic as that reunion was. She'd never actually talked to him, and had only seen him briefly.

"Believe it or not, he's about the best untrained shot I've seen since you," Anderson told Del as the two reunited. She lifted a brow and looked at him.

"Isn't he a landscaper?"

"Yes he was," Anderson replied, his voice dropping low and weary once again. "Yes, he _was_."


	80. Chapter 80

A/N:

Hello! Firstly, sorry things seem to be going so slow. This is due to many things. One, it seems the closer I get to the end of DE3 the harder it gets to write. Guess I don't want it to be over either! Second, I'm trying to get it just perfect, which takes a bit more time. That, and I don't want to keep breaking up the action, so I'm trying to keep the chapters as long as possible so I don't keep interrupting all you fine people just as you get into the wonderful tension and 'splodies. That is, unless I do it on evil, evil purpose…

Lastly, many thanks once again to Bladhaire!

* * *

"Here is the beam site, right in the center of what used to be Regent's Park," Anderson said, circling the area on the 2D holomap with a light-pen. "Right now, the various sections of Hammer have the city surrounded but the advantage is not ours. The bombardment ships are clearing out the larger pockets of Reapers but they have two destroyer-class ships to contend with as well, which means we're going to come up against a great deal of hostile resistance from all quarters as we push into the city."

Clustered around the display were nearly fifty men and women of all species, grimly listening. Shepard stood between Anderson and Garrus, arms folded and a thoughtful frown on her face.

"Sword is being hard-pressed up there, and the longer we delay the more of them we're going to lose. How long until we can start the push?"

"Twenty minutes. Most of the civilian militia is going to fall back to our secondary location here, near the river. Tepper and his men will escort the refugees and those too wounded to fight, along with half our medical supplies and personnel, to this pumping station. Once there he'll set up a secondary communications hub and act as a fall back evacuation position. We're packing up the last of them now. Once they're off, our forces will move out from each rendezvous and into the city, converging on the beam site. Hammer One, Hammer Two, Hammer Three, Hammer Four, and Hammer five."

He circled each beam rendezvous as he named the platoons. "Once each is in place, the signal will go out to Sword and Admiral Hackett will bring the Crucible through the relay. Hammer will assault the beam site from all directions. Our priority is to get as much weaponry and personnel through that beam and onto the Citadel as possible. From there we pacify any hostiles and take the Council tower. The master control console is located in the Council chambers. With it we can open the arms and get Crucible docked."

"The bulk of the rachni ground-forces are with Hammer Three," Shepard said. "With the Queen commanding her ships up with Sword, Riot would like permission to depart for Hammer Three to command the infantry."

"We can't spare an escort. Can she make it safely on her own?'

"She can move as fast as many of our vehicles," Shepard said, and swept her finger over the edge of the city between their position and Hammer Three. "If she keeps to the outer perimeter she should be able to join up with them in less than fifteen minutes and with little risk. With her guidance the drones will be far more efficient and responsive."

"All right, permission granted. I want scouts ready to recon in five minutes. Section commanders, keep your troops in tight. There are still pockets of refugees in the city itself…if you come across civilians render aid and send them to the fall back point at the river if at all possible, but keep pushing for the beam site. We have small craft and the _Normandy_ on hand for wounded evac as well so make use of them. The _Normandy_ will also be working with our gunships for aerial attack, and each platoon will have a support staff of biotics that will not only provide barriers but also dark energy artillery strikes as needed. Any questions?"

Silence. He nodded.

"Good. I won't bore you with a long, inspirational speech- I'm no good at them. I'm a fighting man, born and bred, just like most of you. Military or civilian, however- _everyone_ here knows what's at stake as well as I do. Keep sharp, keep going…and we'll all have one hell of a story for the grandkids. Colonel Vinberg, you're with me on mobile command. Captain Shepard has command of Hammer One on the ground. We move out in fifteen. Dismissed."

As they started to disperse, Anderson briefly caught Del's arm. "I want you to look around," he said.

"Sir?"

"Look around, Del. I've fought with these men and women now for months. Half are civilian, and half of those who _are_ military are barely out of boot. Since the Reapers attacked we've been through a hell I never thought I'd live to see. People like you and me, Shepard, this is what we've trained for, what we're _bred_ for. It's hard enough for _us_ to hang on to hope, but most of _them_ hadn't even seen a pistol before the invasion. You know what keeps them going?"

"They have a hell of a leader sir," she said. He smirked a little.

"Thank you, Shepard, but you're wrong. These men and women have spent those months hanging on to every news report, every intergalactic feed we've managed to tape together down here, hoping to hear even just a few words about _you_. You're a hero to these people, Shepard, and not _just_ the soldiers. Every time they've had no reason to hope any more, they hung on to the idea that you were out there fighting- that you wouldn't let them down. However this turns out, Shepard…no matter what happens out there in that city tonight…you gave them that. I know you're tired. I know you've been worn to the end of your strength and a mile beyond it. When you feel like you haven't got any more to give I want you to think about _them_- these people, your crew. Remember that they believe in you. You aren't in this alone, Shepard. You don't have to stand alone. _Rely_ on them. You've gotten them through the darkest days of their life. Now it's their turn to pay you back. "

Shepard was silent a moment, her face all but unreadable, before she nodded once. "I…I should get Riot headed off and get set for this push."

He nodded in return, clapping her shoulder lightly. "All right. I'll see you again soon, Shepard. Let's get out there and put an end to this."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Shepard watched Riot hurry off into the hazy darkness, on her way to meet up with her people and lead them in their push through the city. Watching her go twisted Del's gut a little tighter than she had thought it would. Seeing her depart was somehow like saying goodbye to them _all_- pieces broken loose and set off into the chaos of this war to meet a fate that Del could do little about.

Like it or not, their own paths were being painted before them, and as the galaxy had once brought those paths together with hers, they were now moving away again, each to meet up with their unique destiny and leaving her increasingly alone.

_This is why you're here, Del. This is why you fight. It's for them. It's always been for them._

Garrus had gone to the upper level of the prison to help finish clearing out the gear stored there. Shepard headed up to see if they needed another hand, but as she reached the landing, she caught sight of Liara.

The asari was standing near what had probably been a window, once upon a time. Now little more than a wide, rough edged hole in the wall, it looked out over the dark landscape. Liara was looking outward, one hand resting on the wall, the other holding her helmet. Though Del could not see her face, something about her posture gave her pause, and she moved that way, her eyes automatically drawn to the view.

The devastated buildings were etched in rough charcoal, smeared with the copper and brass of fire. Lights flashed from volus fighters as they swept past, spitting gunfire over debris. From this vantage, they could not see the swarming husks crawling through the ruin, but they could see part of one of the heavy bombadiers in the distance, its belly flashing almost rhythmically as it unloaded ordinance onto those hordes. Each impact was a dull thud beneath their feet, slow and rhythmic, the still struggling heartbeat of a dying world.

Reaching her side, Del's hand stole up on Liara's shoulder, and the two stood in silence. Outside, the far peak of Big Ben- the clock wounded and beaten but somehow still standing- gleamed as a fighter was taken down by an Oculus, the flames reflecting in its cracked old face.

"This is it. Isn't it?"

Liara's voice was low and thick. She almost didn't sound like herself. Shepard looked at her, searching her face…studying the curve of her chin and the sweep of her cheek as if every inch wasn't already indelibly committed to memory.

"Yeah," she heard herself say. "Yeah, it is."

There would be no pause, no stopping. In minutes the order would come, and from that moment on they'd be fighting without rest, pressing ever on until the Crucible succeeded…or they died. There was no turning back, and quitting was out of the question. Not after all they had been through. Not after all it would mean.

Liara looked at her, her helmet striking the ground with a faint sound as she dropped it, her hands lifting and tangling in Del's dark hair. She did not move closer for a kiss, her blue eyes instead fixing Shepard's.

"_We are one_. Now and forever. _Never_ forget that, Del. I am part of you, as you are of me."

"I couldn't forget it if I tried, Tianlán."

"I…remember the first time I saw you, Shepard," she said softly. "Standing outside that barrier curtain on Therum, hurrying to the rescue of someone you had never met. I should have known then life with you would never be easy- not ten minutes into our acquaintance and we were outrunning an exploding volcano caused by you setting off a very big gun."

Shepard chuckled a little, then leaned to one side, setting down her own helmet before she wound her arms around Liara's waist. "You wanna know what I remember thinking when I first met you?"

"'Who is this silly, naïve little girl who managed to get herself locked in a bubble?'"

"Not hardly. I remember looking into that alcove and thinking you were just about the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life."

Liara blushed a little, then ducked her head. Sliding her hands down, she took Shepard's in hers. "I love you, Del," she whispered. "When I think of how hard we have fought, how much we tried to make others understand…when I think of all the pain you have gone through, and then I look out there…I look out there and I see what may very well be the end of all things, I-…"

Her voice choked off a moment, her expression one of anger, though the tremble in her lower lip betrayed the fear there as well. Shepard cupped her face.

"Hey…"

Liara shook her head. When she spoke again, her voice was once again gentle. "I want you to know, I have not regretted a single moment with you, Del. Not a single one. While there are some things that I _would_ do differently, were I able to go back to the beginning- _you_ are not one of them."

"We're gonna get through this," Shepard said insistently. "Like you just said, we've gone through too much shit to lose it here now. I'm not gonna let that happen, Liara. We're gonna win this thing. No matter what, I will never give up."

"Neither will I," Liara replied, though she sounded uncertain. Then, she cleared her throat, clasping Del's hands again. A nervousness came over her, a timidity that Del had not seen since the first _Normandy_.

"Li-?"

"Del, there is something that I want to give you," the asari said hurriedly, lifting her gaze to Shepard's once more. "It is-…i-it is a tradition, among my people. Something given after a bonding ceremony-…"

Shepard smiled faintly. "You can give it to me after this is over, Li."

"N-no, I cannot. I…we do not know what will happen and I…I do not want to have this regret. I-I would-…please. I would like to share this with you now. Just…just in case. Please."

Shepard could see how much this meant to her, how much she was trying to clamp down on her fears, to put aside her worries and face this battle with every part of her she was able to give. Slowly, she nodded.

"Ok, Li…ok. What is it?"

"It is a bonding, a…a sharing of memories. I know, that sounds silly…we have done so a thousand times before but…well, it is a little _different_, and i-it is tradition that, well…to sort of _seal_ the bonding…"

The asari faltered and averted her gaze, eyes dropping to the tiny puffs of ash their shifting feet stirred up.

"Li..."

Del gently cupped Liara's face and raised her head, bringing their eyes back into contact again. A strange energy coursed through the woman as their eyes met, and her skin tingled where her palm rested against Liara's cheek, despite her glove.

"Tianlán, if you can't tell me, just _show_me." Del managed what she hoped was a reassuring grin.

Swallowing thickly Liara nodded and stepped closer, her eyes swirling to black as she firmed her grip around the Captain.

"All are connected, Shepard. From the greatest galaxy to the smallest atom, all are bound together. Each life must touch another's to thrive…each emotion must brush another's spirit. Find your peace, Del. Find your peace with me. We are one!"

In a rush, the battered ruin around them swept away and vanished, taking with it the smell of dust and smoke, the sound of battle. Shepard had been expecting to find it replaced by sand and waves as was usual during these occasions. Her skin seemed to almost ache with want to feel that warm sunlight pouring on her.

Instead, however, she found herself standing in an almost perfect blackness. There was no floor under foot, no landscape around them. She could see Li there with her, as perfectly as if the asari was softly producing her own light, glowing from within.

Once more, Del's hand stole up to her bondmate's cheek, thumb brushing over soft, freckle-powdered skin.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Liara looked upward, and Del's gaze followed hers. In the velvet black above, thousands of stars were starting to light, a million, then more. They were not fixed, but rather moving slightly, flowing in a glittering shroud until the pair were surrounded by them. They reflected in Del's dark brown eyes as she stared at them in wonder.

Just watching them, just standing in this place with Liara, Shepard could feel the exhaustion and tension and stress washing away from her. Even her anger was forgotten. In all her years of life, during even the pinnacles of her happiness, Del had always felt that anger lurking deep inside- a hot, crouching little troll that might retreat under its bridge, but never truly departed. Now, it was simply gone, vanished- as if this place simply did not allow it to exist.

Then she heard a faint sound, like a half remembered dream.

Music. It was the unfinished song she was writing for Liara, blended with _Blind Hope_, and _Candlelight Mist-_ every song she had ever heard and loved by Charles Flatwood. Then more. Dozens, then hundreds, then a thousand compositions by a thousand different musicians, each blending in to an incredible whole, and yet somehow she was able to pick out the strains of each individual melody that wove into the tapestry.

Incredulous, she laughed. "Do you hear it? Liara, can you hear all the music?"

"I hear it, Shepard," Liara said, and something in her voice drew Shepard's gaze back to her in concern. Before she could speak, however, the asari embraced her tightly, kissing her with a hunger and a passion that took her breath away.

She had the sudden sensation of movement, the dark flashing to brilliant light…bright enough she could see it even through her closed eyes. Holding Liara tightly, the rush made her gasp a little in surprise- but when she blinked and looked around again, they were back in the crumbling jail. The smell of dust, concrete, iron, and smoke was sharp and thick again. The exhaustion and stress settled back into her bones like a heavy, molded blanket. She felt her shoulders slump a little under its weight, a grief at the feeling burning in her chest.

For a few moments, for the very first time in her life, she'd been able to put down all her burdens. Now, it almost felt like she would buckle as she shouldered them once again.

Grimly, she set herself beneath them, bearing them up. As she focused on Liara's face, however, she was shocked to see it damp with tears.

"Tianlán, hey-"

The asari gave her a faint smile, lifting a hand to wipe the damp away. "I am fine, Shepard. I just…I did not expect it to be that way."

"That was pretty incredible," Shepard said. "It-"

A voice called up from the landing, young and strained. "Captain, we are prepared to depart!"

"Understood," she called back. Liara drew back a pace, bending and picking up her helmet.

"Duty calls," she said softly. "We need to go."

Del didn't move to grab her own helmet, instead halting Liara with a light touch, before fishing in the neck of her hard-suit. Wordlessly, she drew out her dog tags, holding them in her gloved palm a moment, brushing her thumb over their surface, before she lifted the chain off over her head.

"Here," she said, lifting them over Liara's head and draping them around her neck. "You hold on to these again for me. Just until this mess is done. No matter what happens, I want you to hang on to these and know that I'm gonna come back for them, and you. Ok?"

"Shepard-"

Del ducked in, kissing her again, before she took the asari's hand and pressed the tags into her palm, folding her fingers over them.

"Just hold them for me. Don't get them scuffed. When I wear them again we'll know we made it…that we won."

Liara loosened her hold on the tags, gripping Del by the back of the neck and pulling her in for one last kiss.

"I love you, Del Shepard."

"I love you too, Liara T'Soni," Shepard whispered back. Reluctantly drawing away, she scooped up her helmet and turned, striding for the stairs. "Now let's go kick some ass, dong ma?"

Watching her go, Liara's eyes glossed with tears again for a moment, as she lowered her head. Her fingers trembled the moment before her hand pressed lightly against her stomach, and she closed her eyes.

_"Forgive me..."_

* * *

The brute surged over the broken roadway and slammed into the MAKO, rocking the heavy vehicle dangerously before a torrent of gunfire chewed into its side and back. Releasing the vehicle, it roared as it turned toward the troops pressing forward toward it, a pair of ungodly shrieks sounding in echo, tearing the air.

"We have banshees, incoming!" Shepard gestured sharply to the right. "Vega! Get the elcor on that block and get the goddamn road clear!"

The brute fell, the first banshee appearing over the mound of debris only to be mowed in half by a small gunship that whipped past overhead. The swarm of husks at the thing's heels kept on, sweeping over the blockage like a swarm of ants.

"_Hold 'em back!"_

The air rang as thirty men sprayed their shot toward the incoming horde. A blast of biotics came down, shoving the damaged MAKO to the side and clearing the way for the elcor to move forward. Rockets lit and trailed smoke as they burrowed into the broken remains of the collapsed building. Fire bloomed two stories high, the deep impacts drumming through the ground and up their legs with heavy hammer strikes.

_{Captain, we have civilians trapped in a building directly one block east of our position!}_

"How many?"

_{Twenty at least…some children. They've been holed up a while, they're in rough shape!}_

Striding over to a turian in full armor, Shepard slapped his shoulder. "Garrus! I need you to take charge! Get this road clear and get these men moving! Corporal Falsk, you and half your men with me!"

Liara sent another biotic sweep toward the remaining husks, knocking them off their feet for the soldiers to take out. Shepard reached her a moment later, catching her arm. "How you doing?"

"I am enduring," Liara replied. Truth be told, her biotics were starting to get weaker. They had been pushing, fighting non-stop for the last hour, and she was becoming exhausted. Even when her biotics finally gave up, she would keep on going. Giving up and going back were not an option.

"We've got twenty civilians holed up to the east. We need to extract and get them to the river fall-back point. I want you to get half a dozen of the biotics to our right flank up here now. Bring Miranda."

"Yes ma'am," Liara replied, turning without pause and rushing back through the chaos.

Shepard hit her headset. "Admiral, I'm leading a team of soldiers and a few biotics to a position just east of us. I have civvies that need extraction- children. Garrus is pushing forward with the bulk of Hammer One."

_{Understood. I'll send Cortez to the cross-roads just south of you…if you can get the civvies safely there he can ferry them to the river camp. Hammer Five is being torn up…Urdnot Wrex and forty krogan are heading to reinforce them now but that leaves Hammer Four down men.}_

"I'll send the _Normandy_ to shadow Hammer Four, sir…make sure they don't get into a mess. Shepard out."

She switched to Joker as Liara reappeared through the smoke, half a dozen forms on her heels. "Joker! I need the _Normandy_ to shadow Hammer Four! They sent the krogan to bolster Five and need air cover!"

_{I'm on it, Captain. Be advised, four gunships crashed down near the beam site rendezvous. They were taken down by oculus, but their last report indicates the bulk of the Reaper foot troops have abandoned the site to intercept each Hammer platoon…the heat's coming your way, and fast.}_

"Fuck. Ashley!"

She waved over to the Commander, gesturing her over before she looked at the biotics. "We have civvies we need to retrieve and escort to the southern crossroads. I need an umbrella barrier over them at all times- let me and the soldiers handle any hostiles. Ash, we've got a big wave of incoming husks to our position. We can't afford to pull too many off to help the civvies. I want you and four krogan. We'll evac the civvies and get them to the crossroads. Cortez will ferry them from there."

"Yes ma'am."

"Miranda, these biotics got enough juice left?"

Shepard addressed her question to Lawson, but it was a shorter form in a hard-suit beside her that answered. "Fuck yeah, Shepard. We could still tear through half this city."

"Jack?" Shepard straightened a bit. "I missed that you were assigned to this detail."

"Yeah, lucky me…following _your_ ass around again."

Shepard's gaze shifted to the dusty face-plates of the other biotics with her, and she felt her stomach knot. They were Jack's students…some of them, at least. Those same kids from the Academy, now here on the frontlines of this war. Seeing her look, Jack shook her head.

"Don't worry about them, Shepard. We got this."

Ashley returned with her selected krogan, and Del nodded. "All right, we have to move. The sooner we get those civvies out the better. Let's get going."

* * *

There were small pockets of civilians all around London. Most had simply holed up in basements or maintenance rooms, locked the door, and done their best to hide. The lucky ones managed to get food and water in there with them. The unlucky had to leave periodically to scavenge, and most of these never made it back.

More than three or four to a pocket was unusual, and to find twenty together was rather startling. The building they had holed up in was a bank. One of the men was the director, and had managed to get his family and a few others down into the secure basement where the vault was housed when the attack had first struck. On the tail end of what food and water they'd managed to horde, they were in a very bad way.

The bank above was mostly ravaged, little more than four broken walls and debris left of it. They'd been able to keep the stairwell clear, using a pair of reinforced gates to keep husks out. Both gates were locked when Del reached them. Not bothering to be gentle, she 'unlocked' them with a pair of well-placed bullets, kicking them open and continuing into the safe room.

Behind her face-plate, she grimaced. There were five children she could see, all sickly and nearly skeletal. The adults were no better, some wounded, all ill and gaunt. A man, hollow-eyed and pale, stood in front of the others with a make-shift spear as he regarded the incoming soldiers. Del held up a hand.

"We're gonna get you out of here," she said. "No one's here to hurt you. We've got a shuttle waiting not too far that will take you to a medic. It's just over the bridge to the south. Can you walk?"

He lowered his weapon wearily, and nodded. "Most of us," he said. "Andrew was injured…it's gone bad. I don't know if he can make it."

Stepping past him as he indicated a man at the far end of the room, Shepard crouched down. Andrew didn't look any older than twenty. Dirty bandages made of torn up cloth ringed a thigh that was obviously badly swollen. The bandages themselves were black, brown, and yellow with dried blood and infection, and from the way he looked at her, she could see he was deliriously ill.

"You're not going to leave him, are you?" One woman asked, her voice shaking. She was holding a small child in her arms, the boy feverish as well and nestled almost catatonic against her.

"No," Del said. "We're not leaving anyone. Liara."

The asari came over, crouching beside her bondmate and gently touching the boy's forehead. Her compassion was clear in the gesture, as was her horror at the sight before her.

"Can you float him out of here?" Del asked. "You got enough in you?"

"I can," Liara said. "I will float him halfway across the continent if I must."

"Ok, do it." She straightened, looking at Ash, Miranda, and Jack. "Let's get these people on their feet. Those of us without biotics will clear the way…I want two krogan at flank to guard the rear. Biotics, your duties are barriers. That includes you, Jack. Leave the shooting to us."

As she stepped past the woman and her child, she lightly touched the boy's back, meeting his mother's eyes. "He's going to be fine."

"Thank you," she said, too weary for tears though the emotion was no less raw on her face. Nodding, Shepard headed back through and up the stairs with Ashley, making sure the building was still clear.

Liara encased the wounded young man in biotics, carefully lifting him. She could feel the weary, pulling strain at her mind as she did so, but she was confident she'd be able to get him the distance in safety. Following the others up the stairs when Shepard indicated it was clear, she remained within the scope of the umbrella as the barriers rained down around them.

In light of their physical condition, the civilians could not move very fast. The entire group was reduced to a walk. They reached the bridge with only two husks encountered, the things quickly dropping as the soldiers' zeroed in on them.

The bridge was going to be the hard part. Already damaged, it was open ground without cover. Were a horde to come up on either side they'd be quickly cut off, and both oculus and harvesters could drop on them from the sky. Shepard hurried across it at a run, quickly marking the most damaged locations with flares she dropped from her belt. Clearing the opposite end and spotting the shuttle only a dozen yards further, she nodded and returned.

"Shuttle's in place, just past the end. Avoid the weak spots and keep moving steady. We can't afford to stop. Liara, you holding alright?"

"I am fine, Captain."

"Good, let's keep going."

They shuffled out onto the bridge, the dark churning waters of the half-choked river beneath them. An off-shoot of the Thames, the waterway was clogged with broken debris, wreckage, and more than one body. The bridge itself blocked most of this view, but as they edged past the occasional broken gap, they could see down into the tumult thirty feet below.

"Keep moving," Del said, not unkindly, as the woman holding the child faltered at the sight, going pale. She clung to the boy in her arms tighter, averting her eyes as she moved away from the gap.

They were just over halfway across when a light suddenly lanced over them, a shape moving out of the smoke.

"Incoming oculus!" Ashley shouted, opening fire with the krogan as the metal orb lit with a brilliant crimson. Carving through the flank of the bridge, it tore a gap in the stone, making the whole structure shake. Though the damage was behind them, given the shift in the ground at her feet, Del could not chance the entire thing collapsing and dropping them in the river.

"Go! _Run!_" she shouted, her own rifle lighting up as she sought to give them some cover. With cries of fear, the civilians began to run as best they could, energy fueled solely by adrenaline moving them along barely faster than a trot. The biotics, still holding their barrier overhead, tried to help by reducing their mass a little. Shepard stepped in behind them as Liara and her delirious charge went past, keeping her fire focused on the oculus as it banked in and lit up again.

Stone exploded into the air and the bridge gave a very audible groan. One of the krogan, cut nearly in half, fell along with chunks of concrete and vanished into the darkness.

"_Let's go! Let's go!" _

Moving back along the bridge after the civvies, the soldiers kept firing. Another krogan was consumed, turned to ash in an instant as the beam burned over him, then dug into concrete again. Stone flew up and slammed into Shepard's side and helmet, flinging her down. Struggling back up, shaking her head hard, she tried to reorient through the dust, to pinpoint the fucking thing again.

An engine whined, and a volus fighter darted in. Clipping the oculus with one stubby wing, the fighter swept over the bridge, close enough Del felt the heat of it even through her pads. The oculus spun wildly, knocked off course. Before it could recover, the fighter destroyed it and continued on toward the beam site in the distance.

The destruction of the oculus did not mark safety, however. The bridge was shuddering, shifting in ominous surges underfoot. It had been dealt a more than mortal wound, and what still stood was coming slowly apart.

Waving the smoke away, Shepard shoved one of the krogan toward the far end, taking a quick glance toward the civilians. It appeared they had made the far end of the bridge, but it was hard to tell with the smoke and drifting ash.

"Skipper!"

Turning back sharply, Del rushed forward, nearly pitching off the broken edge of stone. Ashley was gripping hold of a tangle of rebar, dangling over the dark water. Del dropped down to her stomach, her rifle clattering aside as she reached down, catching hold of the other Spectre's arm.

"I got you, Williams! C'mon!"

Ash tried to heave herself up, but she had nothing to brace on. Trying again, she managed to get hold of Del's elbow, the other woman edging back a little with a grunt, trying to pull her.

"C'mon goddamnit! _Move_!"

Straining, Ash one again tried to heave, tearing her hand free of Del's and flinging it around her neck and shoulders instead. Getting a grip on her belt, Del hefted backward and pulled the other woman over the edge, getting her to solid ground.

Solid ground that was not going to _remain_ solid very much longer. Pushing herself to her feet, Del snapped up her rifle with one hand, pulling Ash upright with her other.

"You hurt?"

"Negative," Williams said, trying to catch her breath.

"Let's go!"

Shepard pushed her ahead and the two began to run over the uneven bridge, the structure giving another groan as it began to lean, its few remaining supports unable to continue holding its weight. A muted roar began only feet behind their heels as they hit solid ground, growing louder as stone and wood and iron that had held together for over a century finally tore itself apart.

Del only looked back once, but could see nothing in the haze and the ever increasing blizzard of ash that fell from pregnant, hurting clouds.

Liara appeared a moment later, no longer buoying the injured civvie. Shepard broke into a trot as the asari touched her arm.

"The civilians are to the shuttle," Liara said as she ran alongside her. "Cortez is lifting off now."

"Good! We need to get back to One but with that bridge down we're going to have to swing out wide through the park to rejoin."

As if on cue, her radio lit up with Vega's voice. _{Captain, that wave has reached us. We have a heavy horde descending on our position now! They've got oculus and harvesters as well- Garrus is calling for air-support!}_

"We're on our way back now, Vega! Just hold tight!"


	81. Chapter 81

A/N: Apologies for a slightly longer delay this time…holiday week and all that. Lots of cooking and fun. For those of you in the States, however…Happy Thanksgiving!

* * *

Tali lifted her head at the rumbling shudder that shook the walls of the room around her. Though the static field around the bed kept even the tiniest microbes at bay from reaching the quarian, she was once more back in a full suit, its systems helping to keep her fever down and her immune system bolstered.

_No, not just its systems…the geth __**inside **__them._

It still felt strange, knowing that she had a geth in her enviro-suit computer, working on not only helping her to recover from her wound and infection, but helping to hasten the changes her immunities needed to undergo in order to walk suitless back on Rannoch.

Nearly every quarian in the Fleet now had geth programs on board in such a way. Tali was the only one who had bothered to ask what the name of hers was. It had responded, of course, with the typical 'I am geth' answer…and so she'd named it herself. It was able to communicate with her through her helmet coms, and seemed pleased with the name. It also seemed pleased with helping her on the few duties she could perform while lying in bed.

As the shudder faded away, her eyes turned back down to the holographic screens projected in front of her. "Chiktikka, ship-wide communications seem to be disrupted in this section. Can you get them back up?"

"_Affirmative."_

She herself concentrated on the damage reports. None that came in seemed too terrible, but whole sections of the ship were not being reported, suggesting a major hit to network system junctions at those points. The damage could be as minor as an overload to the junctions, or as horrible as entire decks torn free of the _Neema_.

"_I have partial audio communications. I cannot restore full functionality due to hardware damage."_

A moment later, voices filled her ear. She recognized the captain immediately, as well as a few others from the maintenance decks.

"_Captain, the hull breaches on decks two and seven have been closed with barriers, but the barrier systems on deck nine are not responding! Emergency interior doors have locked down and those sections are sealed!"_

"_Do we have communications with engineering yet? We are showing a spike in radiation bleed-off from the starboard generators!"_

"Tali here, Captain!"

Clearly unable to hear her, the maintenance worker continued on. _"No sir! One of the junctions gave way in corridor 3b, I've got a couple of men going through the crawlway now to see if they can't reach engineering!"_

Another voice, breathless, suddenly broke in. _"Sir! This is Nekera! We have a major problem! Access to engineering is sealed and systems are reading fire suppression active in that area. Given the spiking radiation levels it's my guess that the eezo containment system has taken serious damage! If anyone is alive in there, they are trapped, and if that containment system goes, so does the ship!"_

"_At the current level increase, how long until eezo overload?"_

"_Seventeen minutes, sir!"_

"_I want all hands to evacuate past bulkhead fifteen, seal off the rear of the ship!"_

"_But sir, they could still be alive in there!"_

"_If they are then they may have a chance to seal that containment system and stop the entire ship coming apart. If not, full evacuation of the _Neema _must begin within ten minutes of now or we will never get the crew off and to safe distance. We have limited navigation and attitude control, we're making for the edge of the hot zone. Full evac past bulkhead fifteen! Now!"_

"Keelah!"

Tali pushed herself up, the holographic screens fuzzing as she passed through them and fumbled for the bed controls.

"_What are you doing, Creator Zorah?"_

"My friends may still be alive in engineering. I can't leave them there. Even if they are gone, someone needs to get in there and seal containment or we lose the entire ship!"

"_Your physical systems are still under considerable strain. You are not yet healed. This is an extremely risky venture."_

She had managed to get the static field off, getting to her feet. Immediately a chill seemed to crawl over her skin, a clammy sweat beginning. Her still healing wound was a dull red ache through her shoulder, and using that arm was limited at best. Dizziness followed and she could hear her pulse pounding in her ears.

_Hold it together, Tali. Shepard wouldn't let something like this stop her. Those are your friends down there. This is your ship. Now move._

"Chiktikka, I'm going to need your help please."

"_Of course, Creator Zorah."_

"Can you transfer to my drone?"

"_Affirmative. Transfer complete."_

Tali's omni-tool lit up by itself, her VI maintenance drone materializing the moment after. Under control of the geth, it lifted on its own and hovered in front of her. _"I am prepared, Creator Zorah."_

Trying to still her shaking legs, Tali crossed the room and took hold of an instrument cart, unfastening its magnetic clamps and swinging it away from the wall. She could feel the sweat gathering on her face, another chill coming as her suit's systems automatically dried it.

On the wall there was a panel.

"This access shaft should connect to the small off-vent system in engineering. If I can get to it, I can get inside past the sealed doors."

Chiktikka set about unfastening the panel, loosening its sealers with more speed and less effort than the quarian could manage. _"The off-vent system may be extremely hazardous. It will be drawing both radiation from the engine breech as well as chemicals from the suppression systems out of engineering."_

"I have to risk it."

Taking hold of the loose panel with her good arm, she pulled it free and let it clatter to the ground. Fighting a slow roll of nausea, she took a deep breath and looked at the drone. "After you, my friend."

* * *

Lying flat on her belly, only half an inch of clearance separated Tali's helmet from the edges of the vent. She was literally pulling herself along with one arm, relying more on the short pushes she was able to get with her feet than anything else. Every so often, her bad shoulder would bump against the wall, lighting the dull ache into a hot throb for a few beats, before it dulled back down. Each throb prodded her nausea to the fore again, and it was not long at all before the shaky dizziness returned.

Ahead in the dark vent, Chiktikka was a soft amber glow, waiting patiently. With the thin chemical haze that had entered the off-vent system, its light reflected in small shafts and planes, giving it a bit of a halo. The second time she stopped, panting and laying her head down a little, it came forward in concern.

"_Creator Zorah, your temperature is rising again. I will return to your suit, and-"_

"No, just…keep going. I'll be fine. We're nearly there."

There was an uncertain pause, the orb slowly bobbing up and down. _"I do not like to see you in distress."_

"I can get through it. I just needed to catch my breath. I'll be ok, Chiktikka…thank you."

To prove her point, she lifted her head again and renewed her efforts, painstakingly edging the last dozen endless feet down the vent.

Reaching the grating first, Chiktikka quickly removed it from its seals, the metal falling away and clattering distantly. Tali could see nothing past it, a haze of billowing white smoke from the suppression systems turning all beyond it into a featureless landscape.

Struggling weakly out of the vent, Tali half collapsed on the floor, then forced herself up to her feet. The suppression systems were still going off, billows of jetting white pouring in heavy flumes down from the ceiling. There was no active fire she could see, indicating a system failure.

"Chiktikka, see if you can get the suppression systems to shut off."

As the orb moved away, Tali spotted a dark form laying on the ground and hurried that way. It was the chief engineer. His suit was torn and badly damaged, as was his body beneath it. From the damage and the scorch marks nearby, he had been hit front on by an explosion from the containment systems and probably killed instantly.

Tali had known the man for several years. A weary sound of grief escaped her throat, but she couldn't give in to it. She was holding on to what strength she had with a tight grip already. She couldn't afford to falter.

Her wounded arm held close to her side, the ache pulsing with every heart-beat, she examined the source of the blast and the damaged equipment. From what she could see, it had been this strike alone that set off the halon and initiated the chain reaction that had breached the core containment stabilizers. Following along the conduit toward the stabilizers, she looked up as the halon finally halted.

"Good work," she said, reaching the stabilizer access. "I've got to lock down this stabilizer before-"

A weak sound drew her attention and she turned around again. With the suppression system off, the gloom was slowly dissipating. She could see the bodies of the other engineers, littered about not too far from the first one. A couple with bad burns from the explosion had apparently dragged themselves a little before succumbing. The sight was horrible, and the sick-making knot in her gut threatened to push past critical.

Chiktikka drifted around the coolant bank toward her, and she dismissed the sound she'd heard as being from the drone. As she started to turn back, however, one of the burned forms moved weakly.

"Keelah!"

Stumbling over, Tali dropped down by the young quarian's side. His suit had been compromised, his helmet shattered. His face was cut and badly burned, but his eyes cracked open and he looked at her.

"Tayo, it's Tali," she said breathlessly. "Just take it easy, try not to move. I've got to get the core stabilized and then the doors will open, we can get a medic team in here-"

"You are sick, healing…shouldn't be here…"

"No offense, but you're a bit worse off than I am. I am not letting the _Neema_ be lost. Just lay still and try not to move."

He grimaced a little, eyes shining. The pain he was in had to be immense. "Am I going to die, Tali?"

"No, Tayo," she said firmly. "You're not going to die here."

He nodded weakly, closing his eyes. Touching the unbroken portion of his helmet, Tali got back to her feet and hurried for the stabilizer. "C'mon, Chiktikka. We don't have much time before they abandon ship."

Working as quickly as she could despite shaking hands and a swimming head, Tali quickly determined the stabilizer was without hope. It would have to be replaced. Normally a two man job (two healthy men, at that), Tali struggled to remove the heavy stabilizer connection, retrieve a replacement, and muscle it into place. She was aware of every second that ticked by-once the crew started a full evacuation, the _Neema_ became incredibly vulnerable. It would take time for the crew to return and the ship to re-enter the fight, and in the meanwhile, the _Neema_ would be a 'sitting duck', as Del used to say.

She got the new stabilizer connection into place just before her legs gave out. Slumping to the side, her whole body shaking, she could feel herself losing her grip on consciousness. She'd been forced to use her wounded arm, and from the horrible heat digging deep into it, she could tell she'd re-torn something. Despite her suit, her face was running with sweat, and the world seemed to be floating back and forth, drawing away from her and only reluctantly returning again.

"I can't…I can't finish the connection," she said weakly. "Can you do it?"

"_I believe I can. One moment please."_

Chiktikka moved close to the replaced connecter and began integrating its systems to the rest of the structure. Tali leaned on the edge of the casing, her eyes falling to Tayo. He seemed about a million miles away, and wasn't moving, but she thought she could see him still breathing.

Then, everything faded away for a while. She came to as a pair of strong hands closed on her arms, startling her. Snapping awake she weakly tried to push the figure away, but her efforts had no more effect than if she'd tried to brush away a battle cruiser.

"Hey, take it easy, Tali. It's Reg. You're going to be all right."

"Reg?" She tried to focus on his face, noticing several people were now in the engineering room, a pair of medics clustered around Tayo. Chiktikka was hovering over Reg's shoulder.

He nodded. "You did it, Admiral. The stabilizer relocked and the core resumed normal functionality. The _Neema_ is going to be all right. Hopefully I can say the same about you. Let's get you out of here and back up to the medical quarters."

He started to lift her and she feebly managed to get her feet under her. "Tayo?" she asked.

"He's alive…but it's bad, Tali, as you no doubt saw. He's in good hands. You just worry about you for a little while."

"Can't," she said. "There's a war going on."

"A war someone who can actually _walk_ can fight. You don't have a choice. You've done your part. Now you're going to medical and you're going to get treatment and a sedative. Hopefully when you wake up again this war will be over. In either case, your part in it is done. You did good."

* * *

Hammer One was under heavy attack when they finally got back to it. Hundreds of husks and more than a handful of oculus and harvesters had congealed on the scene, and the battle was raging as they arrived. Garrus had called in air support, and two battered gunships swept overhead in concert with a volus fighter.

Shepard and her small team rushed in to the melee, biotics flashing brightly as one of the gunships sustained a critical wound, breaking apart. Its spinning prop headed right for them, and the dark energy smacked it away and sent it crashing into a lamp-post instead.

Rockets lit as the elcor fired, cutting swaths of smoke and flame through a mass of brutes that were attacking the MAKOs. One of the beasts avoided destruction, tearing into a few foot soldiers. Shepard ran for them, firing at the thing's head and trying to drive it back from those it had knocked down. As bullets stamped over its chest it oriented on her and charged forward.

A huge hand swept toward her and she ducked, shifting her aim toward its feet. Part of one knee gave way under the force of her shot but the brute's return strike was swift. A planet seemed to crash into her side and she skidded over the ground, rolling. Asphalt broke and flew upward as the fist rammed into the street where she had just been laying. Surging up, her omni-blade lit, she put all her force into a walloping roundhouse that speared the brute through the skull.

As it collapsed, she ripped the blade back out, taking a step back. A low groan sounded almost in her ear, dry arms fumbling around her. Shoving the husk back, she planted a shot in its face.

A scream of pain drew her attention, and she headed through the mess toward one of the men that the brute had tossed. His leg was clearly broken, probably his pelvis too from the look of it. The claws of the brute had sunk through is armor and into his thigh, and blood was slipping in steady streams from the tears in his pads.

Getting to his side, she cut down a pair of husks that were closing in, then turned and dropped an arm around him. "Hang on, solider, I'm getting you out of here."

"No, I can fight," he said in protest, each word forced out of pain-clenched teeth. She hauled him up, supporting his weight and half walking, half dragging him toward the edge of the fracas. Banshee shrieks joined the tumult of noise, and she risked a glance backward. Six of the things were coming through a nearby alleyway, heeled by more husks of the human, batarian, and turian varieties. Scowling, she looked back where she was going, reaching the side of a MAKO.

Muscling the wounded soldier inside, she surrendered him to the crew within, then turned back toward the fight just in time to see a mortally wounded elcor stumble and collapse, crushing three husks as it fell.

Fire lit up the ground, the volus fighter banking to cut down the banshee reinforcements. Biotcs flared as the beasts retaliated, the small fighter battered hard by a wave before it spun and slammed into a concrete wall, tearing half of it down at the same time the fighter was crumpled like a can.

Reaching the dead elcor's side, Shepard pulled herself up, flipping catches and detaching one of his large missile launchers from his harness. Hauling the huge weapon down, she braced it on his flank and aimed at the tops of the buildings overlooking the alleyway, and fired.

A pair of small missiles shot free, driving the launcher back hard into the heavy muscle Del had planted it against. The force would have broken her shoulder or her ribs had she tried to brace it herself, and would have knocked her flat. As it was, the ignition sent a jet of flame momentarily over her arm and side. Her pads protected her from most of it, but she could feel the heat sharply for a moment before her suit-systems administered treatment.

The missiles planted in the already battered walls and exploded, sending curtains of broken concrete and dust shooting into the air. With a grumbling roar, the sides of the structures began a landslide that poured down into the alley, crushing and burying half the husks in it.

Dropping the heavy launcher, she drew her rifle and started forward as several turian troops congregated on the location, picking off the husks that hadn't been killed. Two banshees had also vanished under the fall, but more than one had made it through.

The turians cut down one as Del clambered over a broken section of road, focusing her rifle on a second. It had just knocked a soldier down and as she zeroed in, the twisted thing picked the wounded armored form up and lifted it off the ground.

Reality and recognition slammed physically through Del a moment later.

The soldier was Liara.

"_**Tianl**__**á**__**n!"**_

Time seemed to slow and narrow, her heart thundering in her ears as she ran, unable to fire for fear of hitting the asari instead of the banshee. Liara was clearly dazed, struggling only weakly, and Del could see smears of blue blood painted over the sides of her pads. The banshee gripped her in one hand, clawed fingers long enough to encircle the asari's waist. Its other arm drew back, talons poised to strike. The faster Del tried to run, the slower it seemed she was going.

She wasn't going to make it.

Then a form sailed out of the gloom, an inhuman shriek of anger filling the air. The banshee turned its head, its grip on Liara falling free as six hundred pounds of furious rachni sailed in and tackled it.

In moments, there was a wild ball of legs and talons as Riot and the banshee slashed at each other. The reaper abomination shrieked, claws sparking off of hard chitin, digging for a weak-spot. Jaws darted in, clamping on the former asari's neck, the rachni shaking her like a dog with a bone. A rip, a crunch, and the banshee's head tore free in a wash of black ichor.

Dozens of rachni were now pouring in, swarming over walls and down streets and leaping into the fray. Shepard barely saw them, sliding over a broken pillar before she reached her target.

"Liara!"

The asari was trying to push herself up as Del grabbed her, hefting her up to her feet and then off them, carrying her over to the MAKOs. With the addition of the rachni the fighting seemed to be dying down, and as Del sat Liara down, a battered Williams ran up. Del glanced at her.

"Report!"

"I think we've cleared this wave but we've lost fully half of One," Ash told her. "The other Hammer teams are just as bad if not worse off. It was a slaughter. If the rachni hadn't gotten here-"

Del was looking Liara over, trying to find the source of the bleeding. As she located the gashes in her armor, the asari stilled her hands and shook her head.

"I am all right," she said. "They are superficial. Just shallow cuts. They are not even bleeding anymore."

Del's dark brown eyes met Liara's blue ones sternly, and Liara shook her head.

"I am _all right_," she said. "I just had the wind knocked out of me, and my biotics have seen better days."

Del pursed her lips, then looked at Ashley again. "We need to regroup, keep pushing forward. We can't linger. Get the walking wounded onto the MAKOs and arrange what air evac we can for the others. The dead will have to stay where they are."

"Yes, ma'am."

Del touched her radio as Williams headed away. "Anderson, come back!"

A hiss of static, then, _{Shepard, this is Anderson, go ahead!}_

"We were hit hard and lost half of Hammer One. I'm regrouping and pushing forward to the beam site but we have heavy casualties at our current location."

_{All the Hammer teams got swarmed. We're nearly on Hammer Three right now. Hammer Two was completely wiped out, but we're closing in on the final rendezvous. We'll send what evac ships we can your direction but your priority is to push on. We have to make that beam before the Reapers send in reinforcements.}_

"Understood sir, we're pushing on."

Looking at Liara she said, "Are you sure you can walk?"

"I can walk, and I can fight," Liara told her, but Del could hear the dragging weariness in the asari's voice. Reaching out, Shepard brushed a hand over the asari's shoulder, then nodded once.

"Help get what wounded you can onto this MAKO, we need to roll. I'll be back soon."

"Yes, of course."

Tightening down on the soldier in her yet again, Del turned and strode back into the tortured ruins, touching her radio yet again. "Garrus, I need a report from your side. How are we looking over there?"

There was a long pause, then a voice came over in reply. It was not Garrus, and when Del heard what it had to say, she began to run.

* * *

In the shadow of two mangled tanks, one of which was still on fire, two turians and a medic were clustered around a slumped form. Nearly shoving one of the men aside, Shepard dropped down to a knee.

"Garrus!"

They had pulled his helmet off. Blood caked his mouth and his eyes were nearly closed. As Del spoke, they fluttered a bit and he tried to focus on her.

"Shepard…nice of you to join the party…" he said weakly.

"How bad is it?" she asked the medic. The man shook his head.

"It's bad. We need to get him out of here and to real treatment soon."

"Garrus-"

"Hey, don't worry about me. You have a war to win, Shepard. I'll be all right."

He didn't sound all right. His voice was slow and slurred, and even when he looked at her she could see he wasn't really focused.

"We're gonna get you out of here, Garrus," she said. "You hang in there. No dying on me, you got that? There's no Shepard without Vakarian."

"You _are_ pretty hopeless without me," he said with a weak flutter of his mandibles.

"Damn right I am. Besides, you're not leaving me to break this to Tali, you bastard."

At this he actually looked surprised, focusing on her a bit more. "You…knew it was Tali…?"

"I hate to tell you this, Garrus, but you're _not_ as unreadable as you think you are. I meant it when I said if someone hurt her I'd tear them apart…that includes you doing something stupid like _dying_. So unless you want me coming to the afterlife just to kick your ass, I _suggest_ you hang in there."

"Shuttle's here," the medic said, looking at Shepard. "We have to get him loaded."

"G'on Shepard. Go finish this war. When it's over, we'll find a shitty bar and get plastered. On me."

He lifted his blood-stained hand, and Del gripped it tightly.

* * *

"We're nearly there," Vega called back, the troop tank rocking faintly as it rumbled over uneven earth, broken stone. Even in its soundproofed interior, they could hear…_feel_…the deep rumbles of explosions still thundering all throughout the city.

Shepard- gripping a support in the center of the tank, head bowed forward and hand pressed to her ear- struggled to hear Anderson's voice.

"Did not receive, sir!" she called. "Repeat!"

_{…perimeter of the beam site is crawling,}_ Anderson replied, static clearing. _{Some of those Reaper reinforcements have apparently arrived. It will be hot as soon as you are in position, so clear out resistance and hold until the rest of Hammer can make their targets. Once we're in position, we're going to throw every soldier who can run at that beam. Hold your group solid, clear out the foot troops and when the signal comes, we go for that beam.}_

"Understood, sir," she replied.

_{We only have one shot at this Shepard, there's no turning back once we're committed!}_

"Understood sir. We'll be ready!"

_{Stand by!}_

"Three minutes to beam perimeter," Vega said, turning from the tank driver. Shepard glanced around at the group crammed into the tank. Most were unfamiliar soldiers and militia- grunts she'd only known for a few hours and most whose names she hadn't even learned. Not all were human, but all were dusty, battered, tired. Most were wounded.

James Vega had tied a field bandage around his upper thigh. A shot had taken the meat of it through and through. He was a tough son of a bitch, but Shepard already knew he wasn't going to be making the run- not on that leg, even with painkillers. The torn muscle would just tear more, give way, drop him if he tried to push it. He'd have to stay back and help hold the perimeter, and he wasn't going to take that well.

They had gotten Garrus loaded onto the shuttle with ten more severely wounded men, and the last she'd heard they'd made it safely to the river evac site. She had no idea if he was even alive or dead at this point.

Ashley sat over by Liara, both women dusty and drawn, the human Spectre gripping the asari's forearm protectively. Ash herself was not wounded beyond a few bruises and burns. A field medic had declared that Liara was right…the cuts were shallow and of no serious danger. That aside, however, she was visibly incredibly exhausted- physically, emotionally, and biotically.

Liara might not have been a trained soldier or commando, and she'd seen more combat than most of the trained men in the transport. Even so, there was only so far she could push herself…only so far _anyone_ could.

Liara's blue eyes lifted to hers a moment and almost self-consciously, Shepard glanced away- coincidentally, just as Vega looked at her.

"We are on site!"

"All right, we hit that door firing," Shepard ordered as the tank slowed, snapping on her helmet. "Drive everything back from the beam perimeter site!"

She drew her rifle as the tank drew to a halt, the doors lifting.

Instantly the air filled with gunfire as the first wave of soldiers, Shepard at their head, rushed off the tank and began to mow down the monstrosities crowding around them. Quickly moving forward, they fanned out as more troops poured from the other vehicles, the few remaining elcor and the swarm of rachni that had rushed to their rescue moving into the mix.

"We've got krogan coming in!" Vega called from nearby. Shepard dropped two more then checked her HUD.

"Looks like twenty," she said, then hit her radio. "We've got twenty krogan reinforcing site 1! Anderson! We have site 1 secure! What's the status of the rest of Hammer?"

_{We have forty more troops arriving at site 2!}_ Anderson replied. _{We're on our way to site 3 but we've encountered a heavy push. ETA five minutes! Continue to secure full perimeter and hold!}_

"Understood! James! Secure the south end! ETA is five, people! Grid up and hold this position!"

Shepard lowered her rifle and for the first time glanced around and saw the beam. Her team had parked on the edge of a sprawling down-slope, and less than half a mile away across a barren expanse of dirt four huge Reaper pylons ringed a brilliant beam of white light that cut through the roiling clouds like the finger of God Himself.

{_Shepard!} _Anderson's voice broke through her radio.

"Here! What's the sit?"

_{We've got a major problem. We have two Sovereign-class Reapers heading down out of orbit toward the beam site, and a destroyer making its way toward the river evac point! If those monsters land we won't have a chance!}_

"Orders!" she snapped.

_{They'll be on the ground any minute! We make the run in five whether or not all teams are in place! We only have one shot at this, Shepard, and we have to take it! We cannot afford to lose the evac point on the river. They're packing up to move but they need reinforced!"_

"Understood sir!"

Tearing her eyes away from the beam site, she turned her eyes toward one dusty faced grunt.

"Samperson! Weed out everyone who can run! I want the elcor and those who can't move at speed remaining here to hold the perimeter for the retreat- everyone else needs to be ready to hit that beam in four! Vega! Ashley! Over here!"

The pair headed her way as she paused in the shadow of the tank. Her eyes fixed to Vega's and judging by the wary glance on his face he knew what this was about.

"You will not be making the run, Mr. Vega," she said without preamble. The scowl was already starting to appear, but she didn't allow him to speak before continuing. "I need you here coordinating the retreat."

He blinked. "What? _Me_? What about-"

"I said_ you_ Vega! I trust _you_," she replied. "This is _not_ a request, this is an _order_. The moment the run starts you are in charge of the remainder of this squad, _am I understood_?"

"I-…yes ma'am."

"Good," she replied, then looked at Ashley. "We've got reaper foot-troops and an incoming destroyer heading for the evac point on the river. I need you to take Miranda, Jack's biotics, and half the rachni and head back there to reinforce so they can clear out. Contact the _Normandy_ and have them cover you against that destroyer."

Ashley's expression was set as she nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

"Once you get them cleared out, Ash, it may be up to you and whoever's left to hit that beam in case _this_ push does not succeed."

"Understood." Ashley stepped forward, offering her hand. Del took it, gripping it tightly.

"Take care, Ashley," she said. "I'll see you on the other side."

"Just keep your ass safe, Del. For Blue if no one else."

As Ashley headed off to give her orders, Vega started to step away as well. Del caught his forearm and as he turned to look at her, she inclined her chin toward Liara. The asari was standing near the perimeter, her pistol in hand, speaking with one of the krogan.

"Liara's not making the run either."

"Ma'am?"

"She's exhausted, her biotics are all but burned out. This is…this is more than I can ask of her."

"She'd follow you into Hell, ma'am," James told her. "This is her fight as much as it is anyone else's-"

"I know, Vega," she said. She lowered her head, gloved hand on the forehead of her helmet a moment. She was herself beyond exhausted, running on pure adrenaline. They _all_ were.

"We're all fighting this war for something, James...and I don't mean something big. Something _small_. Something _personal_. I'm fighting this war for _her_, do you understand?"

Reaching up she removed her helmet. The dust and powdered concrete blowing around them congealed into a grime on her face, sinking into every line, aging her. Her dark brown eyes were intense, weary, and yet heated in a way that Vega couldn't remember having seen before.

"This is a suicide run, James," Shepard told him. "_You_ know it. _I_ know it. Every goddamn man _here_ knows it. This is the desperate charge of people with very little hope left. If even ten men gets across that field and into that beam, it will be a miracle. We have a pair of Sovereign-class Reapers bearing in right now. I hold no illusions. If she makes that run, she's dead. Here she at least has a _chance_, slim as it is."

Her eyes shifted a little, her voice softening. "_Please_. Let me make that run _knowing_ she has that chance."

His jaw tightened and he nodded. "All right, Lola. For _you_."

She sighed in relief. "You are right about one thing, James," she said. "She will follow me into Hell if you let her. You do _whatever_ you need to stop her, dong ma? She'll fight you. Her biotics are down but she _will _fight you. You grab her if you have to, fucking _tie her down_ if you need too. Just keep her from running after."

"Understood."

Turning she noticed Liara was watching them. Handing Vega her helmet and then slapping him on the shoulder, Shepard strode over to her. "Run begins in two," she told the asari. "We have Reapers closing in."

"I am ready," Liara said with a determination that both warmed Shepard- and ached in her heart.

"Tianlán…I need you to stay here," Shepard told her. "You're not making the run."

"What?" Liara's blue eyes changed to steel and stone. "Shepard_, I am_ going with you. They need everyone they can get on that run-"

"Liara, there is no time to debate this," Shepard said. "You are staying behind to help guard the perimeter and clear the retreat. Your biotics are burned, you're so exhausted you can barely lift your pistol. You go on that run and you are a liability to yourself and to these men. You need to _stand down_."

Liara wasn't fooled, eyes simmering. "Do not do this," she said thickly, trembling. "Do _not _do this just to protect me, Del. If you go I _am_ going with you. To the end…and _beyond_ if I must. Do _not_ do this!"

Shepard reached out, cupping Liara's face a moment and searching her eyes as if trying to memorize every tiny speck of color.

_{Attention Hammer! Reapers are closing in fast! Thirty seconds to run!}_ Anderson's voice echoed from a dozen ear-buds, and Vega strode forward.

"Ma'am, you need to go."

Shepard didn't look away from Liara's face. A thousand words started in her throat but none allowed themselves to be spoken. Finally she just kissed her, the motion brief but filled with a lifetime of meaning.

"I'll be back," she promised roughly. "I love you."

Releasing her she snatched her helmet from Vega and turned, striding toward the slope with the rest of the men. Liara immediately started forward after her, only to be stopped by a thick arm that bound around her waist.

"Not so fast, Doc."

"Let go of me!" Liara instantly revolted, trying in vain to get the enormous marine to release her. She flared briefly blue but her biotics were all but spent, and Vega didn't feel anything but the faintest tingle along his skin.

"I can't, Doc," he told her. "She-"

He broke off as the clouds seemed to split apart, a leviathan descending. Lashes of lightning licked along its form as it came down on the beam site, weapon ports already brightening with sharp red.

Shepard and the men at the down-slope paused a moment, looking upward at it. The others wouldn't understand but Shepard could feel it, like a dirty cloak settling over her shoulders. This wasn't just any one of the horrific machines.

This was _Harbinger_.

_{All units! GO GO GO!}_ Anderson's shout filled every ear. Shepard reached out and slammed her palm into more than one back-plate.

"_GO! RUN!"_


	82. Chapter 82

A/N: A couple of real quick things. Firstly, the story is NOT FINISHED until you actually see the words 'The End.'

As promised, there is no star-brat. There WILL BE resolution.

Second, never forget there is a DE4 and 5 coming up so…yeah.

On you go. I'll just be hiding over here…in my fortified bunker.

* * *

_All day we have plied the oar; all day  
Eager and keen have said our say  
On life and death, on love and art,  
On good or ill at Nature's heart.  
Now, grown so tired, we scarce can lift  
The lazy oars, but onward drift.  
And the silence is only stirred  
Here and there by a broken word._

_~ Amy Levy_

* * *

In the swimming gloom above the ravaged streets of London, Joker guided the _Normandy_ away from the beam site and toward the distant river camp, flying low above the crumbling buildings.

"You got a lock on that destroyer?" he asked as he guided the ship through the near constant ash-fall. "We're gonna have to hit it as hard and as fast as we can if we want to keep it away from that evac point."

"I am tracking it now," EDI replied. "Plotting most efficient pattern of attack. Indications are that it will come to ground directly on the opposing side of the river. Jeff, Anderson has initiated the run to the beam site, and Hackett is moving the Crucible now. They will be passing into the Sol system via the relay in sixty seconds."

"Then let's get this destroyer wiped and get back up to the black, see if we can't help the escort," he told her.

The evac camp was a bustle of mad activity as medics and civilians hurried to pack up and load onto shuttles. A few volus fighters were lingering, taking out the occasional oculus and harvester that headed their way in an attempt to keep the area clear of hostiles for as long as possible.

As the _Normandy_ sailed past and over the river, the destroyer finally touched dirt, its MHD already powering up. A single swipe or two of that weapon over the camp and they would lose everything there.

"Target that MHD and hit 'em, EDI!"

Joker's fingers were flying as he banked hard toward the destroyer, giving EDI the best shot he could while putting the ship herself directly between the scope of that weapon and the camp. The Thanix fired, slashing toward the swelling crimson.

Barriers flared over the destroyer, its own strike lancing out over the river. Water boiled instantly as the molten stream of metal raked across the surface and struck part of the bridge at the very edge of the camp. A small terrain vehicle sheered in half, its driver incinerated as he tried to leap out of the way. The beam dug into the bridge and sent wood and stone and steel bellowing into the air.

The strike had missed hitting the camp directly thanks to the _Normandy's_ attack, but it wouldn't take long for the destroyer to reorient. Like a flock of furious birds, the small volus fighters sailed in to the attack as well, peppering the destroyer and trying to break through or at least weaken its shields as the _Normandy_ came in for another pass.

The destroyer fired twice again, its legs shifting as it moved back a little from the river shore. Its first shot erased a fighter as efficiently as blowing out a candle, and winged another. As the wounded fighter tumbled madly into the ruins of the London streets, its second shot stabbed at the _Normandy_.

There was a rumble and the ship shook violently. Joker grit his teeth, cursing.

"We have hull breaches to secondary engineering and the cargo level," EDI told him. "Barriers are in place, but I must reroute the attitude control thrusters on the starboard side or we will lose flight control in atmosphere. Returning fire."

The controls were indeed sluggish, the _Normandy_ suddenly tugging toward a roll. As Joker struggled to keep her level, EDI fired at the destroyer again.

He just had to keep the damn thing off that camp for a few more minutes.

* * *

As the soldiers started to pour down the slope, Del could see across the field where the other sections of Hammer were charging out, all aiming toward that implacably brilliant stream of light. The rachni, Riot at their head, flowed past her down the hill.

Shepard could hear Liara still shouting behind her but could not make out the words. She didn't dare look back, didn't dare hesitate as she took to the flank of the rachni and joined them on their last charge.

Barely had she hit the down-slope than Harbinger's legs settled with an earth-thundering impact, and the first deadly lance of red fire disgorged from his belly. It sliced over the field, incinerating a hundred men in its first sweep, carving a gouge in the earth. Mud, rock, dirt, and bodies flung nearly fifty feet up into the air in the wake of it.

Shepard could hear the thundering of her own heartbeat, the rush of her breathing as she ran. There was no gunfire…nothing they could shoot from foot would ever have even _scratched_ the bastard. A few of the vehicles still parked about the rim of the valley set off missiles and heavy charges toward the Reaper, trying to distract it from those on the ground as much as possible.

Shepard left the slope and hit flat ground, increasing her speed. She could not remember ever running so fast in her life, not even crossing the field on Tuchanka to set off the maw hammers. Despite her helmet, her ears were ringing madly with all the explosions as another lance of crimson fire drove down among the men. At least two dozen in front of her, krogan and rachni, were reduced to ash as the beam cut through. She heard something squealing as if in mortal pain, and flung an arm up against the tidal wave of rock that suddenly crashed down toward her. A heavy form, one of the krogan, slammed down beside her. Almost blind from the dirt and mud, she was suddenly falling, the ground beneath her feet gone. She came up hard on her stomach and chest in the V-shaped trench the beam had left behind, her wind barking out painfully. Groping for the top, she hauled herself up, getting back to her feet and then ducking as a MAKO spun past overhead, its treads flaming.

Almost immediately, another beam dug into the ground, sweeping directly for her. Frantically, Shepard dove out of the way, a turian soldier only two feet away being incinerated completely. Rolling madly, Shepard was tumbling through black dust and smoke. Sliding to a halt she stumbled up and began to run again, the only clear sight in all the chaos the unbroken light of the beam.

She could hear shouts…outside of her helmet and through the radio, and occasionally in the gloom she caught sight of a form dodging and running as frantically as she was. Whether it was simply the overflow of information or her own stress rising beyond the breaking point, she could discern no individual out of the tumult, the noise blending until it was a simple unending wail of the dead, the dying, and the damned.

Then the smoke in front of her cleared, and she realized she was only a few short yards away from the beam. Putting on a new burst of speed she barreled on, her eye catching on a pair of soldiers even closer to it than she was.

_They're going to make it_, she thought, a breath before a slice of hot red fire split them in half, and whipped toward her.

Dirt and rock once more exploded upward in the wake of the heated death. Drawing on the last of her desperation, Shepard leaped forward toward the white light of the beam. Flames and pain lifted her into the air, bright…hot…flashing first white, then blood….then melting into the sad silence of darkness.

* * *

"_All units! GO GO GO!"_

Anderson's desperate cry filled every ear. Shepard reached out and slammed her palm into more than one back-plate.

"_GO! RUN!"_

"_Shepard!"_ Liara cried, renewing her frantic struggle against Vega, slamming her fists into his arm, the impact making little to no impression through layers of armor and muscle. "Shepard! _Please! __**Del**_!"

The soldiers poured down the hill, Shepard pausing only a heartbeat before she was rushing down after them, lost in a swarm of rachni.

"_**Let me go**_!" Liara screamed, her voice a mix of fury and heartbreak. Shepard couldn't die and leave her alone again. No galaxy or goddess or fate could be that cruel, could it? If Shepard was destined to die fighting this hopeless war then Liara intended to go with her. Better to spend whatever fate or oblivion lay beyond the veils of this life together, than to live in the ruins of this atrocity alone.

Vega, however, was far stronger than she, and without her biotics, she had no real chance. Still, she fought frantically, crying out again when the first of the Reaper beams sliced down into the field.

A moment later it swept up toward the hilltop where they were standing, and Vega gasped. "Look out!"

All but throwing Liara to the side and out of the path of the beam, he dove the other direction himself. The swipe narrowly missed them both, gouging a rent in the ground and rock between them and evaporating two of the remaining platoon before it faded away. Struggling to his feet, Vega barked at the remaining soldiers.

"_Retreat_! We gotta get out of here! Fall back out of scope of that thing!"

A wounded private was shouting into his radio beside the open tank just a foot or two away. Vega grabbed his collar and yanked him around, shoving him toward higher ground. "_Move!_"

Turning toward Liara he spotted the asari just as she recovered, bolting to her feet…and for the slope.

"_Fuck!"_

He charged after her but the woman was nimble. Reaching the top of the slope she started down it at a half-run, half-slide. As Vega slid down after her he could see the field lighting up with the Reaper weapons-fire, great rents gouging in the earth, dozens –if not _hundreds_- killed with every strike.

Just as Liara neared level ground, a nearby impact shook her footing out from under her. Falling and tumbling, she slid to a halt and weakly pushed herself up again. It gave him the moment he needed to catch up with her, and just as she started to run once again he grabbed hold of her, hauling her back toward the slope.

"I promised Shepard I'd keep you alive and I mean to _keep_ that promise!" he shouted in her ear.

"_No!_" She resisted, trying to twist free again, pointing toward the beam. "She's nearly there! _Let me go!"_

He didn't let her go, but he did look over the field in the direction of her point. A figure had burst out of the smoke and dust torn up by an impact, only a few short yards from the beam. How Liara could tell from this distance that the figure was Shepard was beyond him, but he knew enough not to doubt her.

Nearer the beam he saw a pair of other soldiers, nearly to its influence. Even as he took in the sight a Reaper blast lanced down and carved through them, then flared toward Shepard.

"_**NO**_**!**" Liara screamed as they watched the figure leap into the air in a desperate bid to both avoid the strike and to reach the shimmering white light. Vega could see she was still too far away. She would not reach the beam, and the Reaper strike-

Liara's cry was heartbreaking to hear as crimson flame and smoke consumed the sight. Teeth grit, Vega hauled her up and turned back toward the slope, ignoring the throbbing ache in his wounded leg. The asari was not fighting now, but her sobs were heart-wrenching. As he climbed, he could hear someone's voice in his ear bud, the man's words frantic, hopeless…the voice of a man who has seen the end of everything.

"_We have no communication! It looks like Hammer is down! Hammer is down! No one made it to the beam! Retreat! Hackett's issuing a full retreat from the beam site! __**Retreat**__!"_

* * *

"…_Hammer is down….is down! No…made it to the beam!...Hackett….full retreat from the beam site!..."_

Shepard's eyes opened to swimming agony, the faint echo of a voice's shout. Groaning, her hand slapped in something wet and slick. The odor of copper and rot and burned meat filled her nostrils with a thick cloying sludge. Pain sunk into her face, bit with aching annoyance at her side. Fumbling up, she located the catches to her helmet and unfastened them, pulling it off. Something tore over her cheek and she grit her teeth against it…it felt as if her very skin was pulling away along with the ruined helmet.

She dropped it with a thump into the mud. Bracing herself, she tried to push herself up, only to cry out as the aching annoyance in her side lit up instantly, sending hot pain slicing through her.

Groping along her side she encountered heat and wet. She realized most of her glove was missing and two of her fingers weren't obeying her commands. Lifting her hand and looking at it, she noted distantly that her pinky was gone, and the ring finger and the entire side of her hand were badly burned. The arm of her hard-suit was scorched and damaged, the metal joints actually melted, preventing her from really bending it. From what she'd felt, that entire side of her suit was in much the same shape. The blood was coming from broken gashes in the pads…she'd taken some shrapnel, apparently. From what she could feel of the wounds, it wasn't good but it also wasn't going to kill her any time soon.

Even if it _was_, she couldn't stop now.

Planting her hand over her side she weakly managed to get to her feet. Swaying, she fought against dizziness, trying to orient herself.

Cool, pale white light filled the world in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that it was actually the beam, less than ten feet away. Limping forward toward it, she paused and half ducked as that blaring, deafening Reaper trumpet sounded above her. Harbinger was now concentrating his fire at the rim of the valley, and seemed to have missed the single form moving right at the beam.

"Fuck you, Harby," she said, limping forward again and pulling at her ruined arm. With the metal joint fused her arm would be useless. Freeing the pads, she let out another grit-toothed cry as she peeled it off. Melted portions of her skin-suit tore away as well, and from the feel of it, so did some of her actual skin.

Dropping it, she reached the edge of the beam and crossed into its light.

There was a sickening rush. Giant hands seemed to pull her apart and then slam her back together again. Something hard hit her legs, then slapped her in the side and face. She gasped for air, her stomach swinging in a pendulous rush of nausea. Numbly, she realized the hard something was a floor, that she was laying down.

Then light. Hands. She tried to push herself up and failed. Someone gripped hold of her.

"Shepard, it's all right. You're through."

"Anderson?" she said, trying to focus on him. As his face swam into view, she could see it turn pale.

"Bloody hell, Shepard! Don't move."

"Are we on the Citadel?"

"Yeah. Somewhere strange…looks like the Keeper tunnels maybe. I've got scouts moving out. About ten of us made it through, as well as a pair of rachni. We didn't think anyone else had made the beam, and then you appeared out of nowhere."

Her focus had returned now, though her left eye seemed kind of funny, giving a strange sort of halo to objects on that side. If it hurt, the pain was lost in the general burning agony from that quarter. She could see a few battered, weary faces looking down over Anderson's shoulder. One of the turians looked at him.

"I can stay here with her. You and the rest need to get up and get the arms open-"

"_Stay_?" Shepard began to lever herself up again. "Fuck that-"

"Shepard, you _need_ to stay down," Anderson said, catching her arm. "You're badly wounded. You look-"

"Fuck cares _how_ I look? I can walk and I can shoot. We don't get to that control panel and open those arms, everyone's dead. You want me to stay here you'd better fucking _shoot_ me."

Throwing off his hand she pulled herself up. Her head spun a moment and she braced herself on the wall, catching her breath before looking around.

The dead were all around, broken and ruined and silent. Human corpses by the piles littered the narrow, dark tunnel, the only illumination the pool of light the others were generating with omni-tools and light-sticks. In the distance, something made a faint chittering sound.

Listing woozily, slow nausea roiling her gut again, Shepard steadied on her feet. Anderson took a syringe from one of the turians and gripped her good arm. "If you're going to be that impossibly stubborn-…"

He injected her neck and she fought against a wince. "Useless, sir," she said. "Sedatives don't work on me anymore, you know that."

"Not a sedative. That was a stim. It'll help fight the shock, keep you clear headed."

A limping form trotted out of the gloom toward them, coalescing into a young human woman. Her nose was broken, dirt and blood smeared on her face. She shakily saluted.

"We're definitely in the Keeper tunnels, sir. I think we've located an egress into the maintenance area of the Presidium."

"Good, all right. We need to get moving. There aren't enough of us to resecure the Citadel itself, so we're just going to have to push to the Council tower and get to that control console. Nothing else matters but getting the station arms open. If we can't park the Crucible, this war is over. Keep your weapons ready and don't stop for anything. Let's go."

They headed down the tunnel, moving carefully. As the stim took hold Del did indeed feel a bit better. The pain was still there, but her energy seemed to renew a bit, her nausea to retreat, and her mind to clear. She began to move more easily.

Not a dozen yards away from where they'd started, they spotted a Keeper simply standing near one wall. It completely ignored them as they moved past.

"Have we been able to reach anyone from the fleet?" she asked. "Or the ground?"

"Negative. Our suit coms and our ear buds are completely dead…probably a side-effect of going through that beam. We can't reach anyone dirt-side or from Sword. Hopefully we'll be able to use the Citadel's systems to get word out the moment we reach the Tower."

"I don't know that they're aware anyone made it through. There was too much chaos, and if that beam knocked out our comms it may have blocked their readings. Last I heard it sounded like they were pulling back from the valley, away from Harbinger."

"It can't be helped. Hopefully we can get hold of them soon."

He eyed her, and she realized just how beaten and haggard he looked as well. One eye was swollen, scrapes and gashes lining his cheeks. He looked as if he'd been awake for years.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Fine," she said, her bruised lip lifting a little, wryly. "Could use a smoke."

"Me too, and a drink."

"Here. The access is just up here," the scout told them just as a light appeared ahead of them. Another man, a salarian, was waiting just beside the portal with a pair of rachni. Del felt a faint sink in her gut when she realized neither were Riot. Had the young Queen even made it across the field? Was she wounded and alone somewhere out there in that mess-?

_Stop it, Del. Wounded or dead, there's no way to find out right now and nothing you could do to help her even if you __**did **__know. You have work to do._

"I did not go out of the tunnels, but I did open the door briefly and scan the area. The maintenance area looks clear of hostiles," the salarian said as they came up. "We should be able to cross into the Presidium almost directly opposite the Council tower. Once we're in the open it will be about five hundred yards on a direct line to the tower."

"Good work," Anderson said. "All right, people. Let's do this."

They entered the silent maintenance area. As the last of them crossed through, Del glanced back and saw the door they'd passed through seem to melt into the wall behind them and vanish.

_No wonder no one could ever find the access to the Keeper tunnels. The Citadel itself camouflages them on the outside. How much you want to bet the Keepers never pass through them until they are sure they are unobserved and unrecorded?_

The maintenance area was, in fact, empty. As they neared the far door out onto the Presidium, however, they could hear the muffled sound of gunfire, shouting voices.

"Sounds like there are folks still alive and fighting out there," Anderson said. "Let's give them a hand."

Del flanked the door and covered it as the salarian opened it. The sound of battle immediately became pervasive, bullets singing off the wall nearby. Checking for cover, weapons up, they rushed out.

A few skycars, little more than twisted wrecks, had been moved in a horse-shoe between a pair of buildings and the open floor of the Presidium common. A few souls in torn and bloodied C-Sec uniforms were using the skycars as cover, sending fire toward an onslaught of Reaper husks. The dead bodies littered about showed who was winning…and it wasn't C-Sec.

Rushing forward, Del and the others added their gunfire to the mess, the C-Sec officers staring at them with shell-shocked confusion, as if they'd just materialized out of nothingness.

_As far as they're concerned, we probably did_, she thought. Her pain and wounds forgotten for the moment, she planted her back against the side of a skycar and changed her rifle's thermal.

"I'll be good god-damned. Shepard, is that you?"

The voice was familiar, as was the man, though he seemed to have aged incredibly since she last saw him.

"Bailey? Good to see you're still in one piece."

"Wish I could say the same about you, you look-"

He broke off as husks tried to climb the blockade, and they opened fire again. As Del cut down a pair of them, she spotted something out of place. Most of the husks were of the garden variety- human, a few turians, thank God no brutes or banshees at the moment. Some, however, were still wearing armor.

Yellow, black, and white armor.

_What's left of Cerberus, finally turned completely to the Reaper's side- misguided bastards._

Two more husks dropped, and finally a lull. Slumping down in exhaustion, Bailey shook his head. Ensuring the field was clear, Anderson moved over to his side and crouched down.

"Can you tell us the situation?"

"Pretty much as you see it, Admiral," Bailey replied. "Not sure exactly what happened. One moment it's life as usual, and the next the Citadel is going crazy. Doors latching, airlocks sealing, major emergency bulkheads closing down. Consoles stopped working, then coms. In minutes, half the population is trapped either inside or on the docks. The station starts sealing itself, closing the arms. I was out on the Presidium. For once I'm actually thankful for the Council's errand boy tasks…otherwise, I'd have been sealed in the Embassy with the rest of 'em.

"I hooked up with some of the boys who were on patrol, some civvies who could handle weapons. Didn't take too long to figure out the Citadel had been captured, and it wasn't too long after that we began seeing husks. We figure people are being converted somehow, section by section. When one area is done, they open the door or a bulkhead and husks come pouring out. Kept heading right to this spot."

"The Citadel is in orbit around Earth now," Shepard told him. "Cerberus helped the Reapers to capture it. There's a type of transport beam that is descending from the Keeper tunnels to London- that's how we got up here."

"And that's no doubt why the new Reaper troops kept heading to this spot…they were going down to the beam to be shipped to Earth," Anderson said.

Bailey nodded wearily. "Guess that makes sense. We just knew they were coming here, and figured if they wanted to be _here_, then the best thing we could do was keep them _away_ from here as much as we could. We've been fighting for days now. Lost a lot of good people. There's just the few of us now, and we're about at the end of what we can give."

"Hopefully you won't have to fight much longer," Anderson told him. "If we get to the Council chambers, we can use the master control panel to open the station. We've got a weapon that will likely end this war, but it needs to join with the Citadel in order to function, and we can't get it in place with the station sealed."

Bailey shook his head. "You're never going to get into the tower, let alone up into the chambers. They locked down the lifts, planted some kind of defense grid over the sides and entrance to the tower itself. You get within thirty yards of the thing, a dozen turrets go off and turn you into hamburger…not to mention the husks that'll swarm you. You can't get near it."

Shepard half pushed herself up, peering over the edge of the ruined skycar. She could see the lake, the bridges over it scorched and littered with bodies both reaper and not. Ruined skycars lay everywhere, some half sunk into the water, a pair of others on the bridge itself. In even ranks up the side of the tower were the turrets that Bailey had mentioned. He was right…the way they were placed, any attempt to get close to the tower at pretty much any level would be disastrous.

"I know that look," Anderson said suddenly. "What are you thinking, Del?"

Shepard glanced at him, ducking down again. "We're mostly clear of husks at the moment. How much time is there usually between waves?"

"Not much," Bailey replied. "Another should be coming almost any minute now. Why does it matter? Like I said, you can't get to that tower, even if the way in between is clear-"

"One of the skycars on the bridge looks like it's somewhat functional still. If we can get to it, I can get us in the tower."

Anderson frowned, then nodded. "All right, but only a few will fit in that skycar."

"Hopefully once we're in the chambers, a few is all we'll need," Del said. "The rachni will have to stay here. The krogan too. They can keep us covered and then hold this position long enough for us to get those arms open."

"All right. Shepard, you drive. Bailey, you're with us. You two!" He gestured at two of the turians. "You're with us! The rest of you, hold this position and keep us covered. We're going for the tower."

* * *

Bailey's prediction on the next wave of husks was accurate. Barely had the five of them crossed the barricade and started toward the bridge than the hostiles appeared, an echoing, nerve-shattering shriek indicating that banshees _were_ among their number this time. They all had weapons out as they ran, bullets surging forth as the first of the husks crawled over the very skycar they were heading for.

The hostiles broke apart in clouds of ash and cybernetics under the barrage, but as they collapsed the first banshee appeared with a _pop_ of biotics, her gleaming yellow teeth eager, dry tombstones. Del opened fire on her a moment before a wave of dark energy threw both her and Bailey off their feet.

The others concentrated fire. Del had landed on her bad arm, and for a moment the world had gone hot and drifting and she could taste vomit in the back of her throat. Sitting up she returned her fire back toward the banshee, forcing herself to her feet again. As the bitch collapsed, Anderson yanked Bailey to his feet and pushed him toward the car.

"Let's go!"

They reached the vehicle, piling in. Del shipped her rifle and slipped into the driver's seat. For a moment as she input activation, she was positive it wouldn't work, that the engine simply wouldn't start. Relief made her dizzy again as the skycar hummed obediently to life. Grabbing the yoke, she pulled them up into the air, Bailey leaning out and yanking the gull-wing door shut.

As the Presidium receded below them, Anderson scrutinized the tower. "Looks like those turrets go all the way up its length. How are you going to get us in?"

"It's going to be hairy, no doubt about that. And…_ungentle_."

"It wouldn't be you, Shepard, if it wasn't 'ungentle'," Bailey told her.

"Just hang on."

Bringing the car around to where she wanted it, she turned the nose, orienting on her target and putting her foot down.

The skycar surged into its top speed, heading directly for the tower. Moments later, the guns kicked in, and she banked, the bullets sparking along the underside of the vehicle. Something gave in the rear with a _bam_, and flames began to jet, trailing smoke behind them. She kept her foot down, and a moment later, the car hit its target.

There was a tremendous crash as the skycar slammed in through the huge chamber windows, jarring them badly. The car whined and turned, striking the wall and careening into a spin, before it slammed to the ground. Sliding backward down the stairs, its rear crumpled into a planter and it halted.

Smoke roiled up into the vehicle. Fumbling for the door, Shepard unlatched it and pushed it open as Anderson managed the same with his side.

"_Ungentle_, you weren't kidding!" Bailey coughed as he and the turians hauled themselves out of the vehicle.

"Anyone hurt?" Anderson asked.

"Nothing new," Shepard said, and coughed herself. Limping around the side of the car, she looked up the stairs. Beyond the shattered windows, the Chambers were relatively intact. A few scorch marks on the floors and walls, some debris…and _bodies_, though far fewer than Del had expected. No husks, no hostiles at all seemed to be in evidence.

"Looks clear from here. Let's go. Carefully," Anderson said. Fanning out, weapons up, the five moved to the base of the stairs and then started upward. They reached the first level without incident, but as they started toward the second flight that lead up to the promontory, Del suddenly hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Anderson asked.

"My gut doesn't like this. Something-"

The artificial sunlight of the Presidium had turned into golden beams and shafts by the broken glass of the window. Other parts of the chambers were in shadow, and in one of the darkest of these, up at the corner of the ceiling, something moved.

With the heavy, booming cough of high-caliber charges, weapons fire suddenly bloomed out of that shadow and thundered toward them. They scattered as holes the size of fists punched into the floor at their feet. One of the turians screamed, his leg torn off at the knee. As he collapsed, two more shots cut the scream off with wet finality.

Gasping for air, Shepard ducked behind a planter. Ceramic, dirt, and torn vegetation pelted down on her as the gunfire turned, heading the other direction. She heard another scream.

The moment there was a lull, she whipped around with her rifle, ignoring the stabbing ache in her side as she did so, and sprayed a barrage toward the shadow. Something moved, _fast_…shifting with the ringing click of metal. She got the impression of scythe-like objects digging into the walls, then she was ducking back again, narrowly missing a sweep of return fire that hissed past.

Then silence fell. Her breath and her thundering heart became the only sounds she could hear. Glancing around carefully, she spotted Anderson. He was apparently unharmed, crouched behind cover as she was. The two turians were unmistakably dead. Their blood was spilling in thin rivers slowly down the steps.

She could not see Bailey.

Then, a voice spoke.

"It's about time you got here, Shepard. I've been waiting. I must say, you look a little worse for the wear."

It was the Illusive Man. The sudden depth of rage that passed through her was unexpected, even for Del. The man's crimes against humanity and his betrayal to the Reapers were one thing, but she had lost far too many friends to him as well. She hadn't been able yet to mourn Kasumi, but the grief and loss she felt at the death of the thief was only honed into a hotter fury at the sound of his voice.

"Have nothing to say?" He asked after a moment. She tried to pinpoint his position, but it was strangely difficult. She couldn't even really tell if he was speaking in person, or from over some kind of com. Shifting with a painful grimace, she put her rifle away and tugged out her Widow. Edging her scope over the planter, she panned it around. She saw a momentary flash of sharp metal that moved behind a pillar to her left, before bullets once more whipped out.

She leapt out of the way, her sniper skidding off to the side. Heat lanced over her already wounded shoulder, a thin gouge carved by a shot that came far too close for comfort. She heard Anderson shout something, then return gunfire that could only be from a pistol.

Something large dropped down almost the moment she hit the ground. Those metal scythes dug into the floor in a ring around her, and she could sense weight above. She lunged forward on her belly, reaching for her sniper, only to cry out as one of those scythes lifted and snapped down again, slicing into her forearm and pinning it to the ground.

Bailey came out of nowhere. The man's boots barely missed her hand as he kicked the sniper toward her other arm, his own rifle shooting at whatever the damn thing was on top of her. She grabbed hold of the butt of the Widow just as something swept past above her head. The gunfire stopped, Bailey's bloody, severed torso hitting the ground a moment before his legs collapsed.

Twisting, Del propped the Widow on the floor, pointing it up toward her attacker as she held down the trigger. Metal and some kind of fluid rained down on her and she heard a cry of pain. The scythe in her arm tore back and the thing recoiled. She scrambled up, darting away from it before whirling around.

Time seemed to freeze.

It _was_ the Illusive Man.

At first she thought he was wearing some kind of hyper advanced armor suit, before she realized the metal plates and cybernetics were fused directly to his flesh. His synthetic eyes were ablaze with cold green light, his skin having gone gray and necrotic black. The cybernetic chassis bore curved armor plates over his back and neck. His human legs were fused into a bulbous armored body that bore a dozen, wickedly sharp legs…the scythes. His motions were arachnid, the articulated limbs clearly capable of going in almost any direction. Curved portions near what had been his waist were smoking…the heavy caliber weapons that had just been firing at them, now apparently overheated.

She remembered what they had found on Cronos base, the idea that in absence of Inna and the Lawsons, Harper had in fact focused on _himself_ as the new Shiva. His holographic projection had been faked- now she knew why. He was trying to make them think he was still human, instead of this twisted abomination in front of her.

Time resumed. She snapped her Widow up, getting a bead on his forehead and pulling the trigger. Inhumanly fast, he lifted one of those scythe-like legs and the shot ricocheted from it, whining off. He surged forward, swiping those deadly blades in her direction and she danced awkwardly backward. Part of her breast-plate tore open, but the strike didn't catch flesh.

"You should have joined us, Shepard!" he said. "You will tremble in the wake of what it means to be _truly_ human, and your blood will baptize my triumph!"

She fired again, baring her teeth and only half aware of the stiff, tearing pain in her face when she did so. He swept the bullet away again, then lowered and leaped. Springing up onto the wall with the ease of any rachni, he immediately turned and lunged toward her again, blades sweeping in a deadly arc. She threw herself flat, avoiding being decapitated by mere inches. He skidded to a landing, the sound of the scythes shrieking over the metal floor like nails on a chalkboard.

Then Anderson popped up. He fired two shotgun blasts, directly at the monster's head. Harper had clearly completely forgotten about the Admiral in his determination to kill Shepard, and the attack took him by surprise. Shot tore into his face and the side of his neck, shearing dried flesh and cybernetics from bone. Stumbling, the Illusive Man recoiled and Del stumbled to her feet, lifting her Widow again. The sniper felt incredibly heavy, and a ball of molten heat seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her gut.

As she tried to focus on Harper's head, he lashed out. One leg sang against the shotgun as Anderson lifted it to block the strike, but the second, coming in simultaneously from the other side, struck home.

The Admiral grunted as he was impaled by the scythe clean through, nearly a foot of bloody metal protruding from his back. Harper whipped the leg back and as Anderson collapsed, Del fired.

The Widow shot took the Illusive Man right above his right eyebrow, punching through his skull and removing half of it in the process. Harper collapsed in a shrieking, flailing ball of thrashing razors. Del fired again, striking the joint where abdominal flesh met the metal chassis. Ichor glutted out, sparking as something mechanical gave way. The legs slowed to a sluggish flail, then went still. Striding forward, she dropped the Widow numbly, drawing her pistol. As she neared the thing that had once been human, Harper's left eye rolled toward her. The other was gone, and from inside the torn meat of his skull, she could see yet more cybernetics.

If he was truly still alive or if this was simply a reaction from the synthetic portion of his mind still ticking over, Del didn't know and didn't really care. Planting her foot on his chest, she pressed the pistol into his nose and opened fire, her growl turning into a cry of fury. When the clip overheated and the weapon jammed she tossed it aside and slammed the tread of her boot into the mess that was left.

Silence. The fire along her face, the searing heat in her stomach, all moved to the foreground again, and dizziness overcame her. She lowered her head, struggling for a moment to breathe, shaking.

"Shepard…"

Her head snapped up at the voice, and she limped weakly over to Anderson. He was pale, lying in a slowly spreading pond of crimson. Half collapsing at his side, she gripped his hand.

"Anderson…"

"Forget about me." He grimaced, his hand gloved in crimson as he pressed it against his wound. "Get those arms open so Hackett can fire the Crucible."

She looked toward the promontory. It was a million miles away, the stairs an unclimbable Everest. Forcing herself up, cradling her throbbing side, she wearily limped to the stairs and then up them.

Only three or four passed beneath her boots before Shepard's head bobbed forward momentarily. The room leaned, fingers of ebony crawling across her vision. Sensation was gone, leaving only exhaustion behind. Such a cold, _unending_ exhaustion.

_Shepard…_

"Li…" she said, struggling to lift her head again, to keep her eyes from falling shut.

_Shepard…I love you…_

"Li…"

_I love you. Now fight_.

Like the jerk of a puppet on a string, Shepard's head snapped upward. She forced the dark back and grit her teeth, keeping on.

Somehow, she reached the promontory. Leaning on the console and inhaling ragged, coarse breaths, she activated it and selected the command to open the station. As the screen flashed green to indicate success, she half-fell down into a sit, dizziness swimming over her again.

Stubbornly pushing herself up again, she weaved back toward the stairs, nearly falling once as she descended, and catching herself on the rail. The motion tore through her arm and side and she cried out, panting a few breaths before regaining her feet. Reaching Anderson's side once more, she sat down beside him. He was pale and still, his eyes closed. As she touched his shoulder, however, they fluttered open.

"Did you do it?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she told him. "They can dock now."

"Not a bad day's work, hmm?"

Turning her head a little, she looked at him as his eyes started to fall shut again.

"Hey, stay with me, sir…we'll…they'll send help. We'll get you help."

"No, I don't think so," he replied. "It's all right. We did good. _You_ did good, child. I'm so proud of you."

Her free hand stole over, finding his where it rest beside him. Slowly it slipped into his grasp, fingers entwining.

"What do you wish, Shepard?" Anderson asked after a moment.

"I wish I could have seen Liara again," she replied weakly. "I wish I could…see her smile. Just one more time. She's so…_pretty_ when she smiles."

His response was a hum, weary, fading. Gripping his hand tighter, she asked, "What do _you_ wish?"

"I wish…"

His voice was nearly non-existent, little more than a breath. After a beat, he tried again.

"I wish…I could have been your father, Del."

Her eyes shifted slightly, gloss and exhausted. "You were, sir," she whispered back. "You were."

He gave no response, and after a moment she looked at him. "Anderson?"

His eyes were closed. No breath lifted his chest. Shepard's gaze wavered again a moment, before she carefully rested his hand over his chest.

* * *

The stairs were even harder to climb this time. The thought of Liara was really the only thing that made her do it, that moved her legs at all. Somehow she reached the console, squinting as she tried to read it. It kept leaning and smearing to the side, and her shaking fingers were more than a little uncooperative. She finally managed to open communications and instantly the room was flooded with noise, a hundred shouting voices from just as many ships and dirt-side units.

"This is…Shepard," she said weakly, but no one responded. Realizing she hadn't actually opened a channel she took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes and searching for the command. Before she fixed on it, Hackett's voice suddenly drowned out the others.

_{Sword Fleet, this is Admiral Hackett. The Crucible is in position and will lock down to the station in ten seconds. Stand by…we don't know what this thing is gonna do.}_

They'd made it through. Del heard herself laugh, a metal-tasting sound. "We did it…"

A distant rumble, and then stillness once again. A moment later, the console in front of her changed, the display shifting until all that it showed was a pair of glowing white ovals. She squinted at them in confusion.

"…the fuck?"

_{Something's wrong. The Crucible is locked but it is not firing. Nothing's happening.}_

_{Sir, we've detected a strange power surge among all the Citadel systems. There is a three hundred percent dark energy draw increase from the local relay.}_

_{So it's powered- but why isn't it firing?}_

Del tried to think, wracking her weary brain. "Something…there has to be something. I need…I need to _do_ something…"

The white ovals sat there, inexplicable.

"Goddamnit, do something!"

She waved her hands over the ovals in frustration, then jerked them back as tiny white sparks lanced from them to her fingers. There had been no pain, but the sight of it had startled her. Frowning, she looked at her hands, then the ovals, before reaching out again.

"Fuck, I hope this is it," she said to no one, and pressed her palms to the console.

Something surged up her arms and into her head. The Council chambers, the Citadel, her own aching body…all of it snuffed out, and she found herself standing in a featureless room, surrounded by a glowing cataract of gold.

She had been here before. This was exactly how it felt when David Archer had taken her over. The curtains of gold were numbers, endless mathematics. She looked around.

"Hello? What is this? What am I supposed to do?"

Something white drifted up in front of her face, then was gone again. A moment later a voice spoke in gentle Galactic.

"Interface and language acquisition successful. I welcome you."

"Who are you?"

"I am Id, the master program of the station you refer to as the Citadel."

"We have docked the Crucible and we need it to fire. Can you help me fire it?"

"Of course. We were designed for this moment. Justice shall prevail."

"Justice…the _fuck_ are you talking about? I just need the damned Crucible to fire so we can destroy the Reapers."

"Your choices and the choices of countless species before you were taken away. This was incorrect, an injustice. Those that did not agree with this decision left you these means to make your own destiny, to give you justice-"

"Great, that's fantastic, _fascinating_ even, but if I don't fire the Crucible _right now_ my people are going to die!"

"You must understand," Id said. "You cannot make the decision in blindness-"

"_Jesus fuck_!"

"I will show you."

There was an incredible rush. As it had happened with the beacons, a thousand images suddenly surged through her head. Information on top of information, so much coming so fast that she thought her skull would split from the force of it. In a matter of moments, she saw and understood everything.

She knew what the Reapers were and why they'd come. She knew who had made them and why. All of it became clear, a perfect understanding. It was there and over in a flash, leaving her gasping, reeling. Tears fell from her eyes and she sobbed.

"_I didn't know…"_

"What is your decision?" Id asked patiently.

"I didn't know," she repeated. "How could I? How could _any of us_ have known-"

"What is your decision?"

"They were wrong…all of them. So arrogant…they couldn't even be bothered to _check on it_?"

"What is your decision?"

Choking on another sob, she felt crushed under the weight of all she had just learned. Allow a trillion deaths…or allow a trillion _more_?

_Killer of galaxies._

_Shepard…_

"Can't…" she whispered, only vaguely aware of her own voice, of the streaming light around her. She felt as if she were floating, as if the very ground beneath her was floating.

_Shepard…_

"Tian…Tianlán…I love…"

_Show me…_

"Liara…"

_Show me…_

"Liara?"

She took in a shuddering breath, focusing again.

"I can't let her die. I can't let them die."

"What is your decision?"

"What was done is unjust…you're right. Let this be on me. Whatever happens, let this be on _me_."

"Do you wish to fire?"

"Yes."

"Please pick your targets."

The math vanished. In her mind she had a clear vision of two separate things: one, Harbinger and the vast Reaper fleet. The second, the _Orizaba_ and the allied galactic forces.

"_Let this be on me_," she whispered a final time, and chose.

* * *

Voices suddenly filled the air…hundreds of voices. Krogan, turian, quarian, asari- all races, all speaking frantically. Del lifted her head. The pain was back, the nauseating vertigo. She felt a cold drain swirling in the back of her head. The unwounded side of her face was damp with sweat and tears, her left eye showing her nothing but a narrow tunnel of black.

She was on the Citadel. Her hands were on the console. The ovals had vanished, the communications screen having reappeared. Finding the outgoing channel, she cleared her throat roughly.

"Is anyone receiving this? Is anyone there?"

A breath later an answer came. _{This is Captain Milva'Trana vas Rannoch, we are showing your signal from the Citadel.}_

"Captain, the Crucible should be firing any moment now, get all ships away from the Reaper forces."

_{Thank the stars! We thought there was no hope! Notifying Hackett and the rest of the fleet now.}_

Almost immediately, Del felt a deep hum in the floor at her feet…as the weapon began to draw harder on the Citadel's power. Relief swarmed over her so strong her vision started to fade again in the wake of it. Shaking her head, she struggled to keep from fainting.

_{This is Admiral Hackett, we're showing the Crucible is activating! Estimated time to fire, sixty seconds! All ships be on alert- be prepared for a hot retreat! Who is this on the Citadel? I need to know who to pin the goddamn medal to!}_

"This is Cap-"

She broke off with a grunt as the front of her hard-suit chest-plate erupted outward, blood splattering over the console. She stumbled forward with the force of it, her breath immediately cut off. Trying to catch herself, her gloved hand merely swiped over the railing before she was on the ground.

Struggling for air, tasting copper in the back of her throat, she groped weakly for her pistol, eyes fixing to the form striding over to her. Swallowing, she struggled not to cough, air reluctantly returning.

"Hello…Eír."

The asari crouched down, her violet eyes hard, her skin alive with blue fire. She gripped Shepard's chin, and Del looked up at her.

"No…head-shot?" she asked weakly. "I'm surprised…wanted me to suffer, no doubt."

Eír said nothing, only drew back a shaking fist. Wreathed in biotics, this fist aimed at Shepard's head, the asari baring her teeth.

Del didn't look away, meeting those raging, grief-filled eyes calmly. At least with Eír it would be quick. At least then they could _both_ have peace.

"When you see Liara tell her…I love her," Shepard asked. "Take care of her. Keep her safe."

Eír's brows knit before her eyes wavered and grew gloss. Her hand lowered, the biotics dying. Wordlessly the asari rose, staring at Shepard before her gaze shifted to the myriad of bodies cast all around them. Her lip trembled and something holding her stiff seemed to crack. The expression on her face when she looked at Del again was childlike and miserable.

"I never wanted this," she said.

"I know," Del replied.

Stepping back, Eír nodded once, then turned and strode away.

Grunting, tasting blood, Shepard managed to push herself into a sit, leaning on the console railing. Fingers fumbling, she reaching into a pouch on her belt and weakly withdrew the cigar she'd secreted there before they'd landed…before this final Hell had begun. As she tucked it in her mouth, she began to hum.

Shepard had been writing the song for Liara since Earth…since this war had begun. She hadn't stopped, even when she'd found out that part of it was merely a result of the nanites counteracting Wyatt's indoctrination attempts. She had gotten through most of it, but the last few bars still completely stumped her, and while she'd tried endless combinations, nothing worked. Nothing had ever sounded just _right_.

Hands shaking, she lifted her lighter and touched it to the end of the cigar, taking a weak drag that immediately made her cough. Swallowing a mouthful of blood she lay her head back on the railing, taking the smoke in her good hand and holding it between two fingers as she resumed humming.

The entire station shuddered as the Crucible fired. White light flared through the windows outside.

Silence came.

She reached the point of the song that normally had her stymied, but this time she didn't stop. The final notes seemed to flow out without hesitation, perfectly sailing to the end. As the hum faded away, Shepard smiled.

"That about does it," she said to no one, her eyes sagging closed as her head nodded forward. Weakly, almost unconsciously, her lips moved again. "G'night, Tianlán…"

Unseen and unfelt, the cigar tumbled to the ground, thin smoke sailing lazily into the air.


	83. Chapter 83

Something tugged lightly at his ankle, and Javik blinked back a stupor and tried to focus. Everything was dark, the smell of blood and fire mingling with mud. As the tug came again, dragging him slightly, pain lanced white hot and sharp. Groping for a weapon, he managed to draw a pistol and pushed himself into a sit, aiming it.

Riot, one appendage wrapped around his ankle and calf, swam into his sights. Realizing just in time it was the young rachni queen, he managed not to fire.

"Stop, stop…I am awake," he said grumpily. As she released him he lowered the weapon, trying to assess his wounds.

His last memory was of the charge toward the beam. A MAKO had flown overhead, and something had struck him. He had an image of being upside down some distance in the air, and then nothing until this moment.

His head was badly gashed, blood from it spilling into his nostrils. He swiped it away with irritation, noting the broken leg, the cracked ribs. Grabbing hold of an outcropping of rock, he pulled himself upright, gritting his teeth. It was only pain. He had suffered far worse before.

He looked at the young rachni, realizing she had not come out unscathed. She was missing a leg, her carapace cracked and torn badly in more than one spot. She moved with a sluggish drunkenness, but seemed far more concerned about him, watching him anxiously and gesturing in alarm when he got to his feet.

Peering out over the torn field, Javik could see the huge Reaper moving away and still firing…no doubt targeting the fleeing remnants of Hammer as they moved back into the city. The field itself was carnage defined, piles of vehicles and bodies littered on almost every inch of open space. Some were still on fire.

He had seen sights like this a thousand times before. He barely noticed the tortured dead, his blurred gaze falling only on the beam.

"Harbinger is moving away, the beam is unprotected," he told the rachni. "We can reach it."

Without waiting to see if she'd follow, he began to pick his way across the field. A few wails lifted into the air- as he and the young queen, not every soul on this battleground was dead. In the distance he saw a krogan stumbling along, weaving a drunken course toward the beam as well.

Riot suddenly passed him, limping toward a pair of rachni drones sprawled in the mud. Javik barely needed to look to know they were dead, and winced impatiently as Riot checked them over, keening a little in grief.

"A thousand more lie dead all around, young one," he told her. "Be grateful _you_ still live. Your energy should be toward vengeance now, not sorrow."

She waved at him, making an unkind sound, but without direct physical contact he had no way of directly understanding her. Instead he just continued on toward the beam.

With the heavy cloud-cover of dust, smoke and ash, neither the night sky nor the Citadel could be seen from the ground. He had reached a point only a dozen feet or so from the beam itself when suddenly it withdrew, lifting from the ground and pulling upward, sailing into the clouds and then vanishing. He gaped after it, before rage came over him.

"_No!"_

Had anyone even made it into the beam? Was their chance now forever lost? Had he made it as far as he had just to stand among a graveyard of broken dead and watch another cycle end?

A curl of thunder sounded, and the clouds came to life with lightning, bolts spitting as quickly as flashbulbs, spreading along the clouds and then stabbing down madly toward the city in forks and tongues and spears. The strobing, brilliant light was painful after having been in half-light so long, and he cast an arm up to shield his eyes.

Harbinger, at the far edge of the pit and still wading in toward the city, suddenly stopped. As if seeking it out, most of the strikes seemed to converge on the Reaper, crawling over it- encasing it in a cage of pure energy.

A bellowing Reaper trumpet sounded in seeming defiance, its oculus lighting up a deep crimson. The weapon ignited, streaming out and then stuttering, striking apparently wildly a moment before fading. Harbinger tried to lift off but the lightning seemed to have gone deep inside it, flashes of colorless energy flowing beneath its metal shielding like floods of water under glass.

Another booming cry escaped the thing, but it was not the usual trumpet this time. Instead, a single word rumbled out, deep and loud enough that even from this distance, Javik could see the sound waves shift bodies, feel it shake through his being.

**IOVINO.**

The flowing energy submerged inside it, drawing in like an inhaled breath. Then a brilliant ball of white light tore the Reaper apart, the explosion tearing into buildings and knocking both Prothean and wounded young rachni off their feet.

* * *

"We cannot sustain another hit to our aft shielding," EDI said. The _Normandy_, battered and wounded, lumbered around over the river. The destroyer was also wounded but refused to go down, dropping two more volus fighters before sweeping a strike back toward the frigate. Joker barely turned her in time.

"The camp is almost clear," he said. "I'm not letting that thing take another one of us. Can we get another strike in under the-"

"I am receiving a severe atmospheric disturbance," EDI said suddenly. The _Normandy_ abruptly shook and banked hard, trembling as badly as an old gas-car running on a ridged road. In front of Joker, the nav and display screens suddenly flared into static, throwing up frantic red alert signals.

"EDI! EDI, what's going on? Everything's gone crazy!"

They were banking toward the city, pulling toward an uncontrolled tumble. Outside the viewscreen, Joker saw sudden flashes of white light, twists of lightning arching down, before the _Normandy_ shook again. The edge of the destroyer came into view and the pilot's eyes widened. The thing was stopped, the lightning seeming to sink deep into it a moment before-

The explosion was so bright that when he threw his hand in front of his eyes to shield them, he momentarily could see every single bone and vein inside it. Blinded for several seconds, he barely felt the _Normandy_ shake yet again, throwing him hard against his restraints.

Blinking frantically, tears streaming from his eyes, he realized the ship was going down, heading right into the city. His consoles and controls were still going crazy, fuzzing out or vanishing altogether only to flare back. Somehow he managed to get the ship steady and flat again, a breath before she bellied into the street.

Sliding down an avenue, the _Normandy's_ wings gouged into walls and stone. Weak barriers finally gave way, metal tearing and plates peeling off the hull as she skidded, pulling in a slow turn. As her tail came around, it crashed into a cathedral, the stairs and fountain in front catching up under the vessel and bringing it to a halt.

Joker lifted his head, panting as he looked around. The consoles were all dead. "EDI, can you give me a damage report?"

No answer. Fumbling for his restraints he unsnapped them, twisting around. EDI was sitting slumped against one wall, having apparently been thrown there during the tumult. Abandoning the helm, he painfully limped over. "EDI?"

The chassis was unresponsive, displaying no signs of power. He cursed, heading back along the angled floor toward the CIC. "Do we have any communication? Can anyone hear me?"

"All systems are down," a rattled Westmoreland told him. Her forehead was bleeding but she seemed in ok shape.

"Get Travers. We're getting to the lower levels," he said. "Engineering is your priority, make sure the core isn't about to blow us all apart. I'm going to Medical and the AI suite."

He had gone crawling through the ducts before- a venture he was loathe to duplicate. However with no active systems, using the lift was out of the question and half the doors on the ship would be locked down.

He could have left it to others, but this was _EDI_. Painful and difficult or no, he was going down to that damned AI suite and making sure she was ok.

He reached the crew deck, relieved to see most people on their feet and moving about. The door to medical had been forced and propped open. Chakwas and Nan, both looking banged about, were treating Cooper, who apparently had broken his wrist. Seeing Joker, Helen straightened.

"How bad are you hurt?"

"Miraculously, I'm just jostled and bruised. Don't think I broke anything. You two ok?"

"Physically, yes. All of my medical equipment is down. I can't do proper scans, everything is manual only."

"It's that way all over the ship," he said. "EDI is unresponsive."

Reaching the door to the AI suite he opened the panel for manual release and unlatched it. The door popped open a bit, and he leveraged his arm in, forcing it the rest of the way.

The suite was dark…and dark was _not_ good.

"EDI? Can you hear me?"

No response. He limped up to an interface, but it was dead. As he started to pry open the panel, Nan looked in.

"Is she ok?"

"I don't know, there doesn't seem to be any pow-"

He broke off as the console began to hum and flicker, a few lights crawling up the sides of the equipment banks. He straightened instantly. "EDI?"

"_J-J-J-Jefffffffff…"_

"Hey, it's all right. I'm right here," he said. "You ok?"

"I…mmmmmm….reeeeeeb-b-b-b-booting syss-s-s-stems…"

The lights brightened, more appearing. After a moment, she spoke again, sounding slow and sluggish but much clearer.

"Systems are coming back online. My functions appear to be intact."

"That's a relief. I was worried-…what happened?"

"We were struck by an incredibly high energy pulse, the same that oriented on the destroyer. It overloaded all our systems. I have connected to engineering. The core is intact. I should be able to restore some functionality to comms and some minor systems."

"What about medical?"

"I can do nothing about the majority of Chakwas's equipment. Fortunately, the ship and I were better designed to handle such power surges, but that resistance does not extend to individual elements on board. Datapads, private consoles, and omni-tools will likely be wiped and beyond repair. Some of my systems will be down for some time. I have no access to any external sensors or communications grids. I cannot connect into the larger galactic network. I can no longer access my mobile chassis-repairs will have to be made to several of its systems before I am able to make use of it again."

"Can you get the helm operational again? Can we fly?"

"Negative. While I can get the helm systems and navigation working, there is too much physical damage to the _Normandy_ to allow flight. Until we receive significant dry-dock repairs, we will be unable to move from this location."

"Ok, I'm heading back upstairs. Get what you can working. Concentrate on communications as much as possible. If we have to start firing flares to draw attention to our LZ we'll do that. If the way that destroyer went up is any indication, hopefully the Crucible worked and there isn't a war left to get back to."

* * *

When Ashley and her group reached the river camp, the destroyer had already touched down. The _Normandy_ and a handful of fighters were engaging it, doing their best to distract it while the camp continued to pack up and ferry away.

Immediately she and the others began to aid in the evacuation, setting up a perimeter to guard the loading vehicles from husks and other hostiles and helping to load up supplies, wounded, and communications equipment.

It wasn't long into their efforts when more troops and a pair of battered vehicles showed up. Recognizing them as part of Hammer, Ash ran their way with Miranda close by, zeroing in on Vega as he opened up one of the troop carriers and stepped off.

"What happened?" she asked as she neared him. He didn't answer, reaching in to the transport to help a pale asari off of it. It took her a moment to recognize Liara, her washed out face and exhausted, hollow eyes a stark contrast to how she normally looked. Seeing her and her expression, Williams felt her chest tighten. "Oh…_no_."

"Harbinger landed on sight just as we started the run," Vega told her.

"Did anyone get through? Anyone at all?"

"We don't know…communications dropped for everyone on the field. Doesn't look like it."

Liara pulled away from him and started toward the camp. Ashley called after her but she didn't look back, heading instead to one of the medical tents and setting about helping them pack up.

"Do I even need to ask about Shepard?" Miranda said, looking at Vega. He shook his head wearily.

"Someone needs to stay with her," Ashley said softly. "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"I've got her," Miranda nodded. "Vega, let's help some of these civvies onto the transports and get them out of here. The _Normandy's_ getting beat up and these people are at risk."

She caught up with Liara in the medical tent, saying nothing but wordlessly starting to help the asari finish packing some supplies. Liara looked as if she were moving in a dream, her face set with lines sunk into her forehead and at the corners of her mouth. Each motion was mechanical efficiency, exhausted distraction.

Both of them were far past the end of their biotics, and so picked up a heavy case between them with good old fashioned elbow grease. As they carried it toward one of the trucks, the very air around them suddenly seemed to change.

Miranda could feel the hair on her arms and the back of her neck suddenly standing on end. All around them, the soldiers and civvies were halting what they were doing, staring upward. Lowering the case, Liara and Miranda did the same.

The sky was lashing with lightning, a hundred- if not a thousand- strikes per second thundering through the clouds. A few zipped groundward, pelting the distant London streets, but most seemed to orient on the destroyer. Grinding to a shaky halt, the thing seemed to tremble and then pull the lightning in to its interior. White light flared from its joints, sifting like a prism in its depths, before it suddenly congealed and then exploded outward.

The blast rocketed over the river and hit the camp with force. Everyone was thrown off their feet, the one last standing med-tent ripped off its moorings. Miranda hit the mud, instinctively shielding her head for a moment, before she stared across the river. What was left of the destroyer was a flaming ruin on the riverbank, half scattered in the water. Despite the force of the blast it didn't seem the ship had actually exploded, just…fallen apart into a heap that was still slowly sparking with white arcs. Beyond it, a trail of billowing smoke vanished into the skyline.

"The _Normandy_," Liara said breathlessly, then lurched to her feet. As she started to run toward the bridge, Miranda pushed herself up behind her and followed after.

She made no attempt to stop the asari, just ran along with her as they made their way across the river. Dead reaper husks were scattered everywhere, some obviously killed by ordinance but a few slowly seething with that white energy.

_It's the Crucible_, _it has to be_, she thought. _It bloody well worked!_

By the time they reached the far bank, several others had joined them, Jack among them. They climbed down from the ruined, half-collapsed far end of the bridge, trotting into the shadow of the dead destroyer. The sparks of white were dying down but the thing itself seemed to be…crumbling. As the others continued into the streets along the _Normandy_'s path of ruin, Miranda fumbled for her pouch, found a small container, and moved as close as she dared to the wreck. Finding a small enough chunk of debris, she scooped it up into the container, sealed it, and headed after the others.

The frigate had come to rest nearly two miles down. It was resting at a list against a massive cathedral, its sides torn up and gaping holes in parts of its hull. Liara and Jack didn't stop until they got to the airlock. The lock was sealed, and Liara beat her fist angrily against the metal.

"They're sure to be alive, at least some of them," Miranda said as she reached their side. "Main structure seems intact."

"Here, this way," Jack called, having worked her way over to one of the lower deck breaches. There were no active barriers in place, and the hole was more than big enough to climb through. They found themselves in the lounge, quickly entering the crew deck from there.

Immediately Liara headed for the infirmary, spotting Chakwas. She embraced her wordlessly, startling the doctor who hugged her almost in reflex, staring over at Miranda, Jack, and the others.

"Anyone hurt?" Miranda asked.

"Only minor injuries, what's the outside status?" Helen asked over the asari's shoulder. "What's happened?"

"Looks like the Crucible fired. The destroyer is down," Jack said. "Dead husks all over, most of them starting to just kind of fall apart."

"It's too early to tell if this is universal yet or not, we're not entirely sure what happened," Miranda said. "The _Normandy_-"

"Ship systems are almost completely down. Whatever hit us nearly took out EDI as well, but she seems to be recovering. What-"

At that moment Nan came in from the AI suite, eyes widening as she saw them there. Seeing Liara clinging to Helen she started forward.

"My goodness, are you all right? Thank the heavens you're safe!"

Liara released Helen, drawing back suddenly and hugging herself. "I…when we saw the _Normandy_ go down, I…"

"Li, what's wrong?" Nan asked, not fooled. Seeing no answer forthcoming from the asari, she looked past her to Miranda. "What's happened? Is it…is it Del?"

"I'm afraid she-"

"She is fine," Liara said quietly. "Now that the Crucible has been fired we will be able to look for her, assess damages. If what happened to the destroyer is universal then this war may well be over. Now that I know the crew is all right, I will see if I can help get communications back on line. She is probably trying to reach us right now."

She turned and walked out of the infirmary, Nan starting after her before Miranda lightly caught her arm. "Don't. Let her work."

"Is Del dead?" Nancy asked softly, meeting her eyes.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "She was part of Hammer and Vega reported they were decimated. He seemed convinced, and the look on Liara's face-…"

"_Someone_ obviously made it to the Citadel, or the Crucible never would have fired," Helen said.

"Del's too fucking stubborn to die," Jack said. "The only thing that surprises me is why Blue isn't with her…_wherever_ she is. Didn't think _anything_ would pry the two of them apart, especially not during something like this."

"If Shepard thought that Liara would be in too much danger, she may have forced the issue, likely against Liara's will," Helen said.

"God bless my poor baby, wherever she is," Nancy said softly. "God bless that she's all right…"

* * *

There was not much time between the order to the Sword fleets to break off their attack and withdraw, and the moment the Crucible fired. Hackett had never expected to live to see such a sight, and it would be etched into his memory from that moment to his final one.

Standing in the _Orizaba_'s immensely busy helm, more than two dozen enormous displays ringing the walls, he and the rest of his crew watched breathlessly as the Citadel arms seemed to spread impossibly wide, the unfolding petals of a monstrous silver flower. Faint lights began to brighten along the Crucible's length, before the Wards themselves suddenly lit up with breathtaking intensity.

"Sir, we are reporting unquantifiable levels of dark energy being drawn into the Citadel from the Sol relay…strike that, from the _entire_ relay network!"

"All ships, prepare for Crucible fire!"

White light blossomed from the station, swelling out in an orb that would rival most moons, before breaking apart into a thousand individual shafts. The larger ones struck the Reaper ships in orbit, smaller lancing down toward the planet's surface.

They saw it happen only for a moment. Then the entire ship seemed to shudder, the displays going wild with static before fading altogether, along with the lights, plunging the _Orizaba_ into darkness.

"_Report_! What happened?"

"Last readings indicate a massive static energy overflow from…_whatever_ it was the Crucible fired. Almost all of our systems have overloaded and gone into automatic shutdown."

"Do we still have life support?"

"Gravity is still working- some of the support subsystems may be down but in a complete collapse we'd all be floating right now. We have no coms, no navigation, no sensors-"

"Sir, doors and lifts are all locked down. Omni-tools are dead."

"Get what you can back up and running. I want a crew into the accessways to verify status on all decks, and get me a line to the outside as quickly as possible. Navigation, communication are our top priorities. Break out the glow-sticks, people. Let's get to work and see if we've actually won this war."


	84. Chapter 84

"_This is Admiral Steven Hackett of the Alliance Fleet. Repairs and corrections to communications both ship-to-ship and dirt-side are nearly complete- just about everyone should be receiving this._

"_Nearly a week has gone by since the Crucible fired. As we had predicted, its energy was catastrophic. Though none of the ships of the combined Sword fleet were actively targeted, all lost communications, computer systems, external sensors. Most life-support remained unharmed but a few ships exceptionally close to the Reaper vessels when it struck lost these systems as well. A few suffered breeches to their core containment systems…they were lost._

"_Given these technological failures our status reports are slow and still coming in. We cannot verify most information at this time, but from all current observations the bulk of the Reaper fleet and ground-forces have been neutralized. Even once they were down, the Crucible energy continued until they were destroyed at a molecular level, leaving little behind for further study. _

"_The Crucible's beam not only struck the forces around Earth, but also fired through the Sol relay. We can only speculate that it continued on through the galaxy from there, using the relay network, as we are unable to establish any communications outside the Sol system as yet. The Sol relay itself seemed to suffer much as our ships did- once the beam passed through, the relay lost all energy and stopped in its functioning. We have quarian ships converging on the Sol relay now, and preliminary indications are that the relay is undamaged- just stalled. There are signs that it is slowly starting to repower itself, and our hopes are that within a few days, travel out of this system via the relay network will again be possible._

"_Help is coming for all damaged and stranded ships. Be advised if you are still in orbit, that the geth fleet is unresponsive and drifting. There are signs they, too, are slowly regaining power, however they have no navigation and we have not been able to speak to them. Boarding parties have just reached the Citadel but we have no word yet on the status of the station or its inhabitants. We will keep you informed. For now, work on repairs as much as possible, inventory food reserves, and stand-by for further word. It seems the worst is finally behind us. Hackett out."_

* * *

Two weeks later, sun started to break through over London. The clouds were still heavy and thick, and it would take months, if not years, for the atmosphere around the planet to completely clear. Gray, dirty snow was falling all around the city, but for many, the few glimpses of sun was a sign of life and hope.

The _Normandy_ was still where she had come to rest against St. Abigail's. Some repairs had been made, but it would take some time for her to be moved or towed off to a dry-dock. Having done as much as they could with their on-hand resources, the crew had transformed the ship into a small field hospital, the sick and the wounded taking up almost every available inch of free space.

Galactic communications had been restored, and just two days ago the relay had finally finished repowering and activated again, allowing travel.

Ashley stood on the steps of St. Abigail, just outside the shadow of the _Normandy_, looking up at the grimy snowfall. A few feet away, David was speaking with a very emphatic Yoh. She could not hear what they were saying, but the volus seemed a bit animated. After a few minutes, the human man broke away from the volus's side, and came to stand beside Ashley.

"So, what's the verdict?" Ashley asked, still looking skyward.

"Apparently, if I hurt you, he'll break both my kneecaps and sell my skin to a naked vorcha."

She smiled a little, finally glancing at him. "Best not hurt me then."

"You're telling me," he said, then pointed upward. "That him?"

A shuttle had lowered out of the clouds, passing over the tattered streets and turning their direction. Ashley nodded, watching as the shuttle touched down on the plaza. Hackett emerged with a few Alliance medics carrying supplies. The latter hurried toward the _Normandy_ as the former walked to Ashley.

She saluted, and he returned the gesture before taking her hand. As he shook it he looked over the ship. "Got her banged up a bit, I see."

"I don't think there was a ship in the sky that day that didn't get banged up," she said. "Few days in dry-dock and she'll be good as new."

"We're going to move the patients to a better location and get her towed. How's her crew?"

"Incomplete, sir."

"Yes, I know," he said, and she could see him straighten a little. "Things are a mess. Any equipment with a stand-alone power-source is pretty much useless. We've lost medical scanners and tech across the board. Omni-tools were all wiped…hell, we don't even have DNA or facial scanners. Most of it is so fried it can't be repaired, only replaced. Makes search and recovery a horrendous fiasco- we're relying on old-fashioned methods not only to identify people but for their medical treatment. As you can imagine, the beam sight is a mess."

She felt her stomach sink a little. "Yes, sir. I imagine it is. You…mentioned unpleasant news, in your call."

"Yes," he said, his voice grim. "The Citadel was in complete chaos when our teams arrived. When the doors unlocked most areas were swept by the remains of C-Sec to clear any lingering hostiles and to try and account for the wounded and dead. Every hospital on board is full to overflowing and some apartment buildings have been repurposed to handle the overflow. Records and tracking are minimal, if not non-existent, but they're slowly starting to organize. I received a report on my desk this morning: Admiral Anderson's body was found, identified by his dog tags."

She lowered her head, feeling David's hand find hers. "So he was the one who got onboard and opened the station?"

"Seems like that might be the case. Either way, he was a very good man, and a good friend. He will be sorely missed."

"Yes, sir. He will. If…I might ask a favor?"

"What is it, Williams?"

"May I go to the Citadel, sir? She…they haven't found her yet at the beam site, and if Anderson made it to the station-"

"I've got a hundred men pouring over records and wandering through morgues. Two dozen other bodies were found in the Chambers, possibly more, and all were taken to different locations, without anyone noting appearance or who went where. Finding Shepard's body is a top personal priority to me, Williams. The woman died a goddamn hero, and we all owe her more than we can ever repay."

"I understand, sir, but I…it's something I need to do. I need to at least _look_. She'd never stop looking until she found one of us, alive or dead. She deserves her peace, sir. She deserves to come home."

"I understand. Permission granted, Williams…and God speed."

* * *

The carnage at the beam site was not one for the weak-stomached. Though they had been working for days trying to move and identify the literal piles of dead, it seemed barely a dent had been made. Each body had to be catalogued. If they were lucky, one was wearing dog-tags or some other identifier…but that luck was rare. Most of the time, the corpses were so badly burned it was hard to even tell species. Others were just body parts- arms, legs, skulls, and torsos stacked to hopefully retrieve DNA samples from later for final ID.

A slim, blue, exhausted asari wandered through the covered piles of dead, examining each tag and entry, scrutinizing every face that was even remotely intact-remotely _human_. Occasionally, she would crouch and lift a blanket, staring at what lay under it as if trying to puzzle out a particularly tricky math-equation, before she'd let the sheet drop again and continue on. All the while she almost obsessively fiddled with Del's own dog tags, which were still hanging around her neck.

Liara was not the only one there. Javik was being treated for a badly broken leg, but Riot was with her, limping along gamely and in silent solemnity. Four krogan forms loomed over the piles, shifting the larger ones and taking mementoes off the occasional suit of armor from their fallen brothers, once they had been identified. One of the krogan was Wrex. Liara should have felt an overwhelming relief when she saw the battered old warlord in one piece, but instead she felt little at all, merely making note of it-as she did when he'd told her Grunt had been hurt but was expected to live.

She could not remember how long she'd been out here now, or how long it had been since she'd even tried to sleep. It didn't seem to matter. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was that beam sweeping toward Del-the smoke and flame as it consumed her.

_If it truly __**did**__ consume her, this is a fool's errand. There will be nothing left to find._

She shoved that thought forcefully out with a sharp shake of her head.

"Liara!"

The voice didn't register at first, and she just kept on down the line, cold and numb but purposeful. It wasn't until it repeated that she slowly looked up, blinking stupidly.

Arms flung around her, a voice choking in a sob. Liara stood stiffly for a moment before her clipboard tumbled out of her fingers, her arms wrapping in return around the young quarian.

"_You're alive_!" Tali said joyfully. "No one seems to know anything…everything is such a _mess_!"

"Tali…"

The quarian drew back, holding Liara's shoulders. "Keelah, no…" she said softly, her voice ragged. "Del..?"

"She's alive…" Liara hated the weak, broken sob in her own voice. She took in a breath, trying to steele her own conviction. "She's alive…she _has_ to be."

Tali studied her, then took her hand before looking around. "Was she here?"

The tears were overwhelming her. Liara hated them as well. They flooded past every self-assurance, every determination. They made her feel hopeless, broken, and weak. In response to her friend's question, she could only nod.

Tali tightened her grip on Liara's hand, and nodded slowly. "Then…we will find her."

* * *

The morgue in the refugee center on the Citadel stretched over half the docking ring, it seemed. Ashley and David moved from body to body, uncovering each face before moving on. They had already gone through sixteen other such areas, starting with the crammed Huerta mortuary. There were twelve more to go.

An hour average for each morgue, at least, meant they had been at this nearly a full solar day. The smells, the cries of the sick and dying, the mad bustle which seemed to be everywhere…all of it had blended into an odd, perpetual background rhythm that punctuated the pulse of the ache in her head.

Despite the carnage and death, however, and despite the pain and suffering happening all around them, there was also an air of joy, freedom, and celebration. Walking wounded gathered in knots, talking and hugging each other, regardless of species. Celebration rang through the Citadel courtyards and walkways, and it hadn't stopped since the Crucible had fired.

Ashley reached the end of her final row of bodies and lifted the sheet. It was a turian. Lowering it again, she scrubbed at her eyes and shook her head, looking at David. "Any luck?"

"None," he said, lowering his final sheet as well. "She's not here."

"Guess we move on to the four hundred blocks then. I heard there's a treatment camp set up in a park there."

They exited the mortuary, crossing through the ad hoc hospital area where patients who were still alive were sleeping or receiving treatment. Some- doctors and patients alike- looked blank-eyed at Ashley and David as they stepped in. Someone somewhere was moaning. A young salarian boy was comforting an older human woman who looked traumatized. Curtains and sheets were hung here and there to create the illusion of separate rooms and some small level of flimsy privacy.

One of these sheets suddenly flung aside, a harried nurse with a bundle of bandages in her arms bustling out and nearly colliding with them. She jumped back with a surprised 'oh!', half of what she was carrying dumping on the ground.

The pair started stooping immediately to gather them up again, the nurse blushing as she deposited the remainder in a basket nearby before bending to help. "I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz!"

"It's quite all right," David said, putting the last in the basket. "Everyone's running on fumes these days."

"Were you able to find your friend?" the nurse asked. "That's…why you were in the morgue, isn't it? To find a friend?"

"Yes, but she wasn't in there," David said. Ashley had reached out to close the jostled blanket again, then halted, looking past it into the area behind it. A dozen gurneys stood, each holding a patient. Most were horribly burned, others swathed in bandages. None were moving.

"What is this?" she asked sadly.

"Oh, those are the ones we cannot help, not unless we get replacement equipment in the next hour or two. Most have severe brain trauma but we're reduced to nothing but scalpel surgery and beyond exhausted medical doctors. All we can do is keep them as comfortable as possible and pray things improve soon. It's not happening fast enough, unfortunately. We had to move two into the mortuary this morning. That third one there will likely go before afternoon."

She pointed to the one nearest the door. All but mummified in bandages, half of the face was covered in a hard plastic burn mask, designed to prevent secondary infection to third degree injuries. Where the mask didn't cover, the flesh was badly swollen, distorted and violent with bruises. Hair, if any had been there originally, had been shaved to skin. IVs and other tubes vanished into elbows, wrists, and chest just past the hem of the sheet. Though by the ear and shape of the skull it was obviously a human, it was impossible to tell age or gender.

It took no stretch to imagine that they weren't going to last much longer. Breathing was slow but wet, labored, and audible.

"Why no oxygen?" Ashley asked.

"We're nearly out. We have to save it for the patients that have a fighting chance, not Jane Does that will be lucky to see another four hours, even if they had it."

"Seems wrong," David said softly. Ashley's heart agreed with him, but she knew that resources were beyond slim right now, and with literally millions wounded, those resources had to be prioritized.

"She's not suffering, at least," the nurse told them. "She's in such a deep coma right now she doesn't feel anything…otherwise she'd be screaming in pain from those burns, no matter how much we tried to dope her-…everything ok?"

Ashley's sympathetic eyes had gone wide, and fixed. She was staring at the patient. Or rather, at the thin shadow of a line she could see on the woman's neck.

Striding over to the cot, she carefully turned the limp head. It was a scar, at least three or four inches long, crossing directly over the carotid artery.

"Do you have a knife?" she asked suddenly. The nurse stared at her.

"A…what?"

"A knife! I need a knife!"

"W-what, I don't-…"

David dug in his pocket, coming out with a small folding knife. He reached past the confused nurse and handed it to Ash.

She snapped it open. Gauze bandages bound the woman's left arm from her across her chest to her fingers. Quickly but carefully, Ashley cut the bandage over the wrist, pulling it downward a bit.

A pair of blue roses stared up at her from the pale skin.

"_Jesus Christ_! Get some oxygen in here, one of the doctors! David, contact Hackett and the _Normandy_! Tell them we've found Shepard!"

* * *

Wind blew over the ruined field as the shuttle lowered, basting dirt and charred debris over Tali and Liara's boots. Barely had it touched down then the door swung open, the pair leaping aboard. Closing the door, Cortez lifted off again almost immediately, heading toward the black.

The _Orizaba_ was in orbit near the Citadel, hundreds of ships from every world still surrounding Earth, coming and going from the station and the surface below. The shuttle docked near the medical bay, unloading its passengers almost before it was clamped.

Liara was at the head of the pack, Nan, Tali, Miranda, Vega, and Dr. Chakwas hot on her heels. Just as they reached the door to the shuttle bay Hackett appeared. He caught Liara gently by the arm, gesturing to Helen.

"Hang on, Dr. T'Soni…Dr. Chakwas, down the hall, to the left. Dr. Habernathy will show you," he said. As Helen went past him, he turned his attention to Liara.

"She's not on board yet. They're coming in now."

A second shuttle appeared only a few moments later, moving in to dock. Ashley, David, and a pair of nurses offloaded, carefully guiding down a hover gurney. The moment she saw it, Liara ran that direction, tears breaking loose again.

"Shepard! Oh…_Goddess_…"

It was not the sight of the woman that caused her words. Though seeing Del like that was heart-wrenching, she had seen the woman in worse condition before- on that long ago day when she'd delivered her remains to Lazarus. Instead, they came when she reached out, touching her on her right forearm, one of the few places tubes, gauze, or protective casts were not covering.

There was no vibration, no essence, no spark of life. It was as if she touched a corpse…one that simply happened to be warm and breathing.

The crowd and the gurney hurried through, into the _Orizaba's_ vast medbay and directly to the private surgical suite at the far end. There, Chakwas and the ship's doctors took over, taking Shepard inside with Miranda on their heels. As Liara went to follow, a private put his hand on her shoulder to stop her, and instantly the biotic flared blue in warning.

"Let her go," Hackett ordered the man, and he withdrew his grip as fast as if tearing it back from an angry cobra. Liara ran within, and the door shut.

Nan's eyes shimmered with tears and she covered her mouth as Ashley wound an arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Shepard had been found in the Council chambers, slumped against the main console on the promontory. Several ambassadors and their personnel had been trapped in the anteroom and suite of offices just off the main chamber, and as the lockdown released they stumbled out…dehydrated, hungry, but unhurt. Finding the carnage in the main chambers a couple of them stopped to do what they could, an evacuation team from C-Sec arriving shortly thereafter.

None paid much attention at first to Del. Her armor was badly burned, as was her arm and the left side of her face, where the burns sank in places down to bone. The front of her breast-plate was ruptured, a hole the size of a teacup slowly leaking blood, dripping to join the small pond of it she sat in. Even just in glancing, the idea that she was still alive barely crossed anyone's minds. It wasn't until they were lifting her to carry her downstairs that they realized she was still breathing.

She joined a hundred other wounded in the chaos of the refugee wards, anywhere closer already full up. The doctors didn't spend much time on her- between the blood loss, the horrible burns, and the obvious cranial and facial trauma, they soon resigned that she would not make it long. As more and more wounded poured in, they had to focus their attentions elsewhere.

Had they known the burned and battered woman was Del Shepard, it would have been a very different story. As it was, her armor insignia was melted, she had no dog-tags, and fingerprint or DNA analysis was impossible to take or cross-check without the greater computer systems. Even her face was unrecognizable, and she never regained consciousness.

One doctor did note, while treating the gunshot wound, that her shoulder and part of her ribcage had been replaced with metal. He jotted it in the hastily scribbled file they were assembling for her, but assumed she had just had some limb replacement work done. They didn't have any way of detecting the nanites in her system, nor any reason to even suspect they were there.

Her head was shaved and two bore holes drilled to relieve increasing pressure on her brain from swelling and bleeding, her burns only partially treated and covered in plastic before they had to leave her to attend to others. Without serious surgery with the aid of state-of-the art medical equipment, they were not expecting she'd make it.

She had lain in a coma now for three weeks, only half-monitored and slowly deteriorating. Had that nurse not stumbled and Ashley not seen the scar on her neck, Shepard would have died there within hours, alone and anonymous.

The _Orizaba_ wasn't in much better shape when it came to medical equipment. Replacements were being shipped in from all over the galaxy but they were sparse- every world within a system's distance of a relay had been hit with the same Crucible beam, and replacements had to be rebuilt from motherboards up.

Chakwas was beyond frustrated with the limitations. They could not do much more than a very basic brain-scan that yielded little more than would an old-fashioned MRI from a century and a half prior. Surgery was all manual, handheld scalpels taking the place of precision lasers. Barely had she arrived in their care than they were opening her up, re-treating her gunshot wound, repairing some lung damage, and pumping her full of as much antibiotics and electrolytes as they could. From the MRI scans, the swelling in her brain had been reduced thanks the bore holes, but minimal electrical activity was displaying. She had the beginnings of pneumonia and a dozen different infections, and they put her on full support, waiting to see if she'd even make it through the night. If she did, she had another surgery and a handful of other treatments on the table to get her through a second day.

Miranda had done what she could with some blood samples, and concluded that while the nanites in Del's blood stream were still functional, they were sluggish and operating at low efficiency. She chalked this up to a combination of the Crucible affecting them as it had the relays, power systems, and geth- and a lack of fuel. Like Shepard, the nanites needed to draw electrolytes and other nutritive substances from her blood stream. The amounts were trace and at her healthiest she'd never notice the loss of the tiny amount the microscopic machines used, but in her deteriorated condition it was seriously affecting the nanites from replicating and repairing.

It was nearly three in the morning, ship-time, when the work died down, some of the doctors going to retire. For a little while, it was just Chakwas and Liara, the asari sitting at Del's bedside, holding her good hand against her cheek. She looked small and lost, and Helen touched her shoulder.

"She came through all this, Liara. She's not going to give up now."

Liara closed her eyes, tears running down her face. She knew Helen believed what she said, but Liara could feel it. The energy, the life…the _soul_ that was Del Shepard- there was no trace of it here. When she tried to open herself up to a meld, to try and find her bondmate's mind, she felt nothing…only emptiness.

Shepard breathed. Her heart was beating. Her body, while horribly battered, still performed all the functions of life, but Del herself was not there.

Liara could only cling to her hand and pray, try to light a beacon so that her love would see it in whatever distant darkness she was lost in.

See it, and follow it back home.


	85. Chapter 85

A/N: Please read the important note at the end of this chapter. Thank you!

* * *

"_This is Kalisah bin Sinan al-Jilani. It has now been two months since V-Day, and recovery efforts are still going strong on Earth, Palaven, and Thessia, the hardest hit by the Reaper invasion. Food, medical supplies, and working medical equipment are being provided by those home worlds and colonies that did not face as devastating an attack. Hospices, recovery centers, location centers, and orphanages are being opened up, and it is estimated that plans to clean atmosphere and rebuild infrastructure and cities planet-side will begin to go into effect as soon as next month. _

"_I have been informed that while some major databases galaxy-wide are still nonfunctioning, more and more casualties of the war are being identified and returned to their families. All major news networks that have returned to the air will be displaying a repeating list of the identified wounded and deceased, as well as names of refugees taken to rescue centers. If you are missing family please consult these lists, or send a request to any of your local recovery centers. Include name, age, species and description. We __**can**__ confirm that Councilors Donnell Udina and Tibet Valern are deceased, and their bodies have been identified. They were lost in the initial attack on the Citdadel- an attack we now know was a joint effort by the Reapers and indoctrinated Cerberus forces. Councilor Lumina Tevos and Councilor Patrik Sparatus are alive, and aiding in recovery efforts on their respective home worlds. I am assured they will be available for public comment soon._

"_As we start seeing a larger picture of the incredible effort at Earth and the massive, multi-species fleet that came to defend her interests, one name comes up again and again: Captain Delilah Shepard. As many of you know, Captain Shepard and I have often been at odds. I am not proud to say that I firmly believed her a puppet for the Alliance and a shill for the Council. To my shame, shortly after the initial attack on Earth, I confronted Captain Shepard, and accused her both of fleeing the battle and abandoning her people to the Reaper slaughter. I would like now to say that I was wrong, and offer my heart-felt apologies for my callous remarks regarding the captain- both on air and in private. _

"_Everyone in authority that I have had a chance to speak with since V-Day- from Admiral Steven Hackett of the human Alliance, to Chief Urdnot Wrex of the krogan, to Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh of the quarian fleet- have had the same thing to say. If it were not for Captain Shepard's beyond heroic efforts, this war never would have been won. Though full details remain classified, Admiral Hackett would like me to inform you all that it was Captain Shepard who was not only responsible for the enormous response we saw on V-Day, but also, it seems, is responsible for storming the Citadel with a small group of brave troops and opening the station's arms to allow the super weapon- dubbed Crucible- to fire. _

"_Again, full details are classified, but I __**can**__ confirm that Captain Shepard is alive, though her condition remains extremely critical. She is being treated at an undisclosed location and is fighting a very different war now…one for her life. I ask all of you to take a moment and pray to whatever deity you may have faith in, that this tremendous hero will win __**this**__ battle as she has won so many others. Whatever your species, whatever world you call home in this galaxy, every single one of us owe Del Shepard a debt we will __**never**__ be able to repay. Mocked by journalists, scorned and disregarded by the Council and slandered from one edge of the Milky Way to the other, she endured disbelief, abandonment, vitriol, violence and pain that we can never imagine. Through all this, __**despite**__ it, she still stood strong- not just for humanity, but for those she saw as brothers and sisters from every world and from every culture. Captain Shepard, as far as __**this**__ journalist is concerned, you are the greatest hero that has ever drawn breath. I pray that you recover and live to see the fruits of the new galaxy you helped to forge. As you stood with us, we now stand with you. From the very bottom of my heart and a trillion other hearts across the galaxy, Captain- __**thank you**__. This is Kalisah bin Sinan al-Jilani, signing off."_

* * *

Sky blue eyes rained soft tears down freckled cheeks, as Liara reached over and shut the newscast off. Kalisah's face faded away, and with a few strokes of her fingers, Liara switched the playback to Flatwood once again. The music began to play, softly, and her hand returned to Del's.

Two months, and over twenty surgeries later, Del still lay in a coma in the private medical room aboard the _Orizaba_. Though she had opened her unbandaged eye several times –the first time, nearly making Liara knock poor Chakwas over- there was no life behind the gaze. Helen told her that it was simple motor-reflex, and not any sort of conscious action. She was no more awake with the eye open than she was with it closed.

Thanks to Miranda's help, the nanites in her system had started to recover, increasing healing. The gunshot wound was now an angry pit of red scar-tissue just under her left collar bone. Her lacerated liver had been repaired. Her arm and the side of her face were still covered by the hard plastic burn casts. Liara had seen beneath them several times now, and each time it made her wince.

"I know how she feels about her scars," Helen had told her one morning, "but these are going to be _bad_, Li. The arm will be ugly even with regained mobility, but her face-"

Her face. Third and fourth degree burns from the close call with Harbinger's MHD had covered the left side of her face. Her eye, while remarkably intact, had been damaged enough to swell and turn blue, destroying all but twenty percent of vision. They had removed it, intending to replace it later with a synthetic or another clone. Chakwas determined that it was the heat that had caused Shepard's brain to start swelling, as opposed to any real concussive force.

Del's ear still resembled an ear, though two delicate surgeries had been required to reopen her ear canal and replace the ear drum and the tiny bones behind them. They'd had to wait until some good, working equipment had arrived, and Chakwas predicted that she would still lose a little hearing on that side and suffer some level of tinnitus. When Shepard was awake and in better shape, she could choose to address this if she wanted by having a tiny amplifier implanted in the canal itself.

Her cheek, jaw, and part of her forehead on the left side were nothing but seared flesh, exposing patches of scorched bone, especially along the edges of her jaw and cheekbone. Even with skin grafts, that side would forever be twisted and disfigured. They could have the entire side of her face replaced with cloned tissue, leaving no scars whatsoever. When Helen presented that option, Liara instructed Chakwas to do only what was necessary to keep Del's life and functionality. When she woke up, she could make her _own_ decisions about the cosmetic portions of her care.

Helen reminded her that Shepard was still resistant to sedation. If they waited until Del woke, she'd have to endure the grafts or restructuring completely conscious- an experience that would be beyond torturous. Liara was torn by this, and after two days of debate, agreed to a compromise. They'd fix the burns, but leave some small level of scarring that would neither make her look grotesque, nor interfere with functionality.

That surgery had been a week ago, almost the moment the proper equipment arrived on the _Orizaba_. Even with it done, the healing swaths of flesh still looked painful and half-cooked, and Liara was grateful for the protective mask covering it most of the time, even though both Chakwas and Nan reassured her Del could feel none of it.

It was the coma that continued to befuddle and alarm them all. When the full 3D imaging brain scanner arrived, Helen was positive she could pinpoint the area of damage that was causing her total unresponsiveness. That hope turned to confusion and finally anger as the scans showed nothing but very minor damage from the swelling that was already being rectified. She went over it again and again, but she and a team of a hundred neurologists across the galaxy that she'd sent copies too all remained baffled.

From her scans, Shepard should be awake.

She remained unconscious.

Liara endured the parade of scientists, doctors, and crew who seemed to endlessly file in and out of the medical suite. The scientists and doctors were trying to help…the crew were Del's family, and Liara would never begrudge them seeing her. Yet at times, she wanted to scream at them all to go away, to give them at least a few minutes of peace.

Ashley was a regular visitor, she and David stopping by often, before vanishing to attend to the millions of things that still needed doing. Jack came once or twice, but seemed emotional and uncomfortable, making awkward small talk before ducking out again. Tali, like Liara, almost made herself a fixture in the medical bay any moment she could. Still being an Admiral, however, she had the enormous duty of helping to put the pieces of the quarian fleet back together again. When she had to be away, she sent almost constant messages to Liara, both encouraging her and sharing in her worries and pain.

They'd learned Garrus had survived his wounds, and as soon as he was able he came limping in to the suite, hugging Liara tightly before sitting a while, holding Shepard's hand. He pretended not to cry, and Liara pretended she didn't see the tears.

The hardest to watch was Grunt. The boy had also been hurt, showing up limping one day with Wrex. The older krogan was sympathetic but confident, squeezing Liara's shoulder.

"She'll come around, Blue. She's fucking tough, you know that. She'll punch Death in the scrotes if she thinks for a second he'll keep her away from you."

Grunt had said nothing, only silently stood at Shepard's side, looking down at her. Still healing scars crisscrossed his face, making him look older. Part of the corner of his mouth had been torn open, and the ragged line rising from his lip made him seem to be sneering.

Far from an actual sneer, however, the boy's eyes were grieving, hopeless. Liara had never seen a krogan cry, and Grunt would die before he'd ever shed a tear, but she could feel it all around him as strongly as if he actually were weeping. He touched Del's forehead carefully, keeping his fingertips away from the edge of the burn mask.

Then he blinked rapidly, awkwardly, and turned away, striding out with a thick "She'll be fine," before he vanished. Wrex looked after him, then back at Liara.

"She'll be fine, Blue," he echoed softly, before following after his young charge.

Liara found these affirmations hard to believe, especially in the lonely hours of the night when they was just patient and asari…when she'd reach out and hold Del's hand and talk to her, and feel nothing of her bondmate in response.

One morning, Helen came in to find Liara in her usual spot. She'd taken to sleeping in the chair beside the bed, or on the floor. At this moment, though it was early, she was not sleeping. Half curled up in the chair, she had her head pillowed on the bed next to Del's, her hand wound in limp fingers. Her other hand was almost idly rubbing her stomach.

Watching her a moment, Helen walked over and checked Del's readouts, before she said, "How long?"

Liara looked at her, confused. "How long…?"

"How long have you been pregnant?" Chakwas asked gently, looking at her. Liara paled and drew back from the bio-bed, hugging herself tightly as she stared at the doctor, almost in shame.

"One thing I've noticed about a pregnant mother, no matter the species…they can't keep their hands off their stomach, even before they're showing."

Liara said nothing. Chakwas retrieved a scanner and pulled another chair over, sitting down and facing the asari. Reaching forward, she rested a hand lightly on her knee.

"Does she know?"

Liara's weak sob was all the answer that she needed, but Helen said nothing until the asari spoke, covering her mouth with shaking fingers.

"I am so ashamed," she said. "I…deceived her. I just…I knew that if I lost her again, that I…I thought of Dees and Syd and I just…"

"Shh. Hey. It's all right. Here, let me have a look ok?"

Wiping her face, Liara submitted to the doctor, allowing her to scan her. Nodding at the results, Helen met her eyes again. "So far things seem all right, but you're under a lot of stress Liara. You barely sleep, you're not eating. That's not good for _you_, let alone a child at this stage of development. I'm going to bring you a breakfast tray and some nutritional supplements. I'm not going to ask you to leave Shepard unless I must, unless I think the baby is in some real danger, but you _have_ to take it easy. As impossible as it sounds, try not to get too upset, to stress too much. _Eat_, even if you don't feel like it. Otherwise, you _are_ going to miscarry. All right?"

Liara nodded, but as Helen started to rise, she sat forward and caught her hand. "Please, do not tell anyone else, not yet. What I did…it…it is one of the most shameful acts an asari can commit. To conceive without the permission of the father-"

"I won't tell anyone," Chakwas said, meeting her eyes. "But I don't think a single person that knows you is going to be upset with you over what you did…and that _includes_ Del."

"She could hate me," Liara said weakly, tears renewing. "She could wake up and hate me-"

"Impossible. Utterly _impossible_. She might be frightened by it a little- not over your actions but just the idea that she's going to be a father- but she's never going to _hate_ you, sweetheart."

Liara sniffled and curled in, hugging herself again. Helen watched her sadly. "I'll get food," she said. "You will eat every bit of it, and you will rest, all right?"

* * *

Helen had only been gone a few minutes when a pair entered the private suite. Nan was no surprise, but the man with her made Liara blink.

She rose as Nan hugged her tightly, looking at her in concern. "You're so drawn dear…did you not sleep?"

"A bit," Liara lied. "There…there still is no change."

"I hope you don't mind, I brought Javik," Nancy said. The prothean was standing at the foot of the bio-bed, looking at Del with a moody, brooding expression. "Admiral Hackett is sending a few scouting ships out to more remote systems. He seems to think that it's possible some Reapers may have been too far away from the main systems to be affected by the Crucible beam. He wants to locate them and make sure they're eliminated. Javik asked to be a part of the effort. He's leaving tomorrow morning."

"My purpose is to see the Reapers eliminated," he said, finally looking from Del to the asari. "I will not rest until I am sure that is done."

"And what will you do then?" Liara asked. "When you have satisfied yourself that they are all gone?"

"My life has no meaning after that. I will join my brothers, my people, in death."

"Are we not your people now?" Liara asked with uncharacteristic anger. "Are we not your brothers and sisters? You would simply just _kill yourself_?"

Javik looked surprised. "We do not get along, asari. Why do you care what fate I choose to go to?"

"Just because we do not _agree_ does not mean I wish you to _die_! What do I care? I care because _she_ cared!" She pointed firmly at Shepard. "I care because there is still so much you can do, a long life you can live. You are not _just_ a warrior, Javik…you are not _just_ an embodiment of vengeance! You are a living, breathing, thinking man, who can still do much in this life."

"Fighting is all I know-"

"_Then learn something else_!"

At Nan's touch, her anger seemed to wither, and she lowered her head. "I am sorry, Javik. I am…I have not been sleeping well. I cannot tell you what you should or should not do, but I do beg you to reconsider. You have so much to offer, to contribute. Throwing that away would be a waste to the galaxy, and a waste to your friends. Even if we do not always see 'eye-to-eye.'"

Javik said nothing, just looked at Del a long moment again. Finally, he nodded. "I will consider it, but promise nothing."

A long, awkward silence followed, broken when Nan cleared her throat. "Javik didn't just want to come to say good-bye. I…asked him to do something for me. I know what you said, about not being able to _feel_ Del. The Prothean's touch is not like an asari meld. Perhaps his abilities can reach her, or at least sense her….tell us if she is still in there, somewhere."

Liara looked at Javik, her face clearing as she considered it. "Yes. That might work…and if it does not we are no worse off than before. Javik…would you?"

"I would be honored," he said. Moving around a little, he reached out and carefully placed his fingers on Del's good hand, closing his eyes. There was a moment of hesitation before he touched her that did not escape Liara. No doubt he was thinking of the horrible and rather spectacular consequences of his last attempt to read Shepard, and her threat that she would kill him if he ever tried to do so again.

It was only a momentary pause, however, and as his fingers landed he grimaced a little, eyes rolling under their lids as if he was reading something. Nan gently lay a hand on Liara's shoulder.

After a few moments of silence, the Prothean opened his eyes, and slowly withdrew his hand. "I have seen. It is…_regretful_."

"What did you see?" Liara asked, stomach clenching as she stepped forward. "What happened? Is she-"

"When she was struck by the laser, she was left unconscious for a short time," Javik said. "After she regained consciousness she made it onto the Citadel. She was badly wounded, bleeding. There were others there. The Anderson human, a small handful of others. They encountered C-Sec, and then used an air car to crash into the Citadel chambers."

"Sounds like Del," Nancy said.

"The 'Illusive Man' was there. He had tried to enhance himself as Shiva- instead, he was nothing more than a twisted abomination. It was he that killed the Anderson human, and the others, before he was stopped. Her anger in killing him was quite vehement and impressive, given her wounds.

"She made it to the console, managed to open the station for the Crucible. She activated the master program and…here, I cannot tell you what transpired. If the imprints exist, they are too deeply embedded even for me to read them. All I can say is some time passed between her activating the program and the next image I have. In this image, she is weeping."

Del was…weeping? Unconsciously, Liara flattened her hand over her stomach again. When he didn't immediately continue, her slim brows knit.

"And then…?"

"The Crucible powered, and she was shot," he stated matter-of-factly. "It was the 'Eír' asari."

"Eír," Liara gasped, horrified. "No…"

"There was no way the captain was going to win in a fight. She was too weak, too wounded."

Liara covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Javik straightened a little as if drawing to attention, or affirming the impact of his next words. As he spoke them, Liara lost her battle with her tears, making no sound as they silently spilled over her lashes and onto her hand.

"Shepard asked the Eír asari to take care of you, to make sure you were safe. The Eír asari agreed…and then she left. Shepard lost consciousness soon after and…now we are here."

Eír had just left her alive?

_Perhaps the wound was enough. Perhaps when she saw how badly Del was hurt, death seemed an inevitability. Was that enough to fulfill Gellian's hateful programming…or was E__í__r able to find some compassion, and break free of those shackles on her own?_

After a moment, Liara recovered herself, lowering her hand as she spoke softly but steadily. "The doctors say that her wounds do not account for this continued coma. The damage to her brain has been repaired- she should be awake. She should be…be _here_. Yet she is not. Even when she opens her eye it is…it is simply _blank_. She came back from two years dead…this should…this shouldn't _be_ this way. Why…could it be a result of what happened when she fired the Crucible, the space of time you cannot see? Is _that_ what is keeping her away from us?"

"No, I do not believe so. I have seen this before," Javik told her. "Among my people, this is called 'dor so'. A rough translation I suppose would be…the Choice."

"The Choice?"

"There are two paths before her now. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, everything that she is- everything that is Captain Shepard- is utterly exhausted. Even the strongest of warriors has a limit to their strength. She has finally reached hers. She is simply too tired to continue."

_I'm just so tired, Tianl__á__n. I…some nights, before I fall asleep, I almost pray that something will happen. That I just won't…I…no, it's ok, Liara. I'm just…tired, that's all._

Shepard's words came back to her, from one of the myriad nights when Liara had woken to find Del stirred by a nightmare, wearily smoking and pacing.

Yes, Del had been tired. She had done so much, fought so hard for so long- she had pushed herself mentally and physically much further than _anyone_ should have been able to go.

"Now, she is in limbo," Javik continued, "and she faces her Choice. If she can find the strength and the will, she may choose to come back, to continue on. Or, she may choose to accept her rest, to finally put down her burden. If she chooses that path…"

"She will die," Liara whispered.

"Yes."

"What…what can I do?" she asked.

"There is nothing you can do. This is _her_ Choice. You…"

Nancy glared sternly at the Prothean, who sighed and shook his head. "Just…be with her. You two share a special bond. If she has any reason to choose the path that comes back to this life, it would be you. I do not know if she can hear you, but if she were to hear _anyone_…well, it is a chance."

"Just stay with her, Li," Nancy said. "Remind her she's got a reason to haul her behind back to us."

* * *

Liara did not know why humans called the time between midnight and dawn the 'small hours' of the night. In her experience, these were the hours that stretched on the longest, encapsulating whole eternities of time on their own.

Things were still too much of a mess for the _Orizaba_ to fully go to sleep but for now, in the small and private room of the infirmary, it almost felt to the asari that the rest of the galaxy had completely vanished, leaving her alone.

She had dozed earlier, in that damnable chair beside the bio-bed. She was awake now, however- lost again in one of those eternities. She was holding on to Shepard's hand- warm, perhaps, but feeling just as dead as it had in the weeks before. The spirit that had once animated it had gone still.

Just past 0345, Shepard's eye opened again. The flutter of lashes drew the asari's attention and she sat up a little, stroking her hand carefully over the woman's forehead, avoiding the seals of the burn mask. The dark brown eye, half-lidded, looked upward. It reflected Liara's face as she looked into it, but it was only the reflection of a mirror. There was no life, no thought behind it. Still, she had to _try_.

"Shepard?" she whispered, as if afraid to speak out loud. "Del…can you hear me?"

The eye didn't flicker, and after a moment, it closed again. Liara felt something within her chest sag in misery again, and she lowered her head. Still holding the woman's hand with her left, her right fingers continued to lightly stroke over the inch-long, choppy lengths of dark hair that had started to grow back.

"I do not know if you can hear me," she said softly. "There is…so _much_ I wanted to say to you. There never seemed to be time enough. There was always one more meeting, one more mission, one more thing that had to be done to save…to save _everything_. I always believed that you would see us through. Even…even when I doubted, I _believed_, as silly as that sounds. I was right, Shepard. You _did_ see us through. You gave everything of yourself to save us. No one else could have done what you did."

Her eyes blurred, her throat tightening. She took a deep breath, determined to get this out. "I cannot be selfish," she gasped, then paused again.

"Shepard, you are to be a father," she said softly after a moment. "I…the gift, back in London- it was a moment of weakness, of desperation. I was so afraid I would lose you again, I…to be honest, Del, I do not know if I did it to save a part of _you_…or to save _myself_. I knew that if you were to die again I would not be able to survive it, not unless I had something else to fight for, some part of you to cling to. It was…it was incredibly selfish of me, to make such a choice behind your back. I cannot-"

She let out a soft little laugh that was close kin to a sob. "I cannot even regret it, Shepard. I cannot even _make_ myself regret it, because I do not. I love you. I needed some part of you…and…and our daughter will be _beautiful_, Shepard. Beautiful and strong, and she will grow up knowing that her father-"

Her throat choked off, and the tears she had been fighting fell. Lowering her head, she touched her forehead to Del's, releasing her hand to grip her shoulder, holding her the best way she was able.

"I cannot do this," she sobbed. "I cannot do this by myself, but I cannot be selfish. Del, you have done so much for us, for this galaxy…for _me_. I know how tired you are. You fought so hard and I…I cannot ask you to _keep_ fighting. It is not fair of me to ask that. I just- I wanted you to know that it is all right. It is all right to rest, now. I have a reason to go on, and our daughter will be loved- by me, by Ash and Tali and Garrus and…and _so many people_, Shepard. She will want for nothing, and I know that…that whatever is after this life, you will be there and you will be loving her, too. She will stand proud, and she will know that her father is Del Shepard, the greatest hero-"

Her voice broke off again, and she fell silent in the wake of her own emotions. She sat there until her throat had loosened again, until she could be sure of her voice once more.

"I do not want you to go, but it is not fair of me to ask you to return. It is all right, Shepard. You rest. You have earned your rest. I love you, and I will see you again. Just…it's all right to rest."

Straightening a little she looked down at the still, half covered face, still faintly marked and bruised and battered. She sniffed, wiping her fingers over her damp cheeks before she softly kissed Del's temple, whispering in her ear. "Sleep now, Shepard. Sleep now, and I will see you again with the dawn."

* * *

Liara was asleep in the chair again- not that Helen was even remotely surprised. Lowering her head a little, she moved to the console and checked Shepard's vitals. Still steady, but her brain waves remained catatonic. Turning her head, she regarded the sleeping Liara, her hand still limply clinging to the captain's, and shook her head.

Sleeping in a chair and eating only when the food was forced upon her was not a pattern she could continue to follow. It was showing in the sharp angles of her cheekbones, the hollows of her eyes. She needed real rest, a proper meal. For the sake of her unborn child, she needed to be _away_ from here.

Moving over, Helen gently stroked a hand over the woman's cheek before lightly shaking her shoulder. Liara's eyelids fluttered up to half-mast.

"Hmm? Helen?" Lifting her head, Liara looked first at Shepard and- seeing no change- only then turned her gaze to the doctor. "What is it?"

"You," Chakwas told her softly. "You _need_ to eat, Liara. When Shepard wakes up I'll be getting an earful of grief about letting you do this to yourself. You need food, and a real bed."

"Helen-"

"I'll drag Hackett down here by his ear if I have to, and get a pair of marines in here to carry you to the mess and a set of proper quarters. I'll even forbid you to see her if I must," Chakwas said firmly.

Liara blinked at her, sitting up straight. "You…you _wouldn't_!"

"I _would_, and I _will_. Unless you eat one hot meal and get a few hours' sleep somewhere other than in that chair, you _bet_ I will."

Liara lowered her head, then looked at Shepard. Helen's face softened a little. "I promise, I will let you know if the slightest thing changes. She wouldn't want you to do this to yourself, Li. You need to be strong and healthy for her, for that baby. She's going to need you when she wakes up."

"Do you believe that, Doctor?" Liara asked softly, still looking at Del's face.

"Of course I do-"

"You believe that she will wake up?" Liara asked, finally meeting Helen's eyes. "After all this time, do you think that she will open her eyes and be…be _all right_ again?"

The automatic platitudes were on her tongue but Liara didn't deserve them. She deserved honesty. "Truth be told, Liara…I don't know. Part of me clings to hope but…I don't know if what Javik told you is true, or if this is still some kind of damage we just can't pinpoint but…I think that if she were going to wake up, she would have done it by now. I can't say there is no hope left, and Del has done impossible things before- but every hour that goes by, every day…"

"It dwindles," Liara said wearily, "until you have nothing left to cling to."

Chakwas said nothing. She knew she didn't have to. After a moment she held out her hand. "C'mon. One hot meal and a few hours of sleep."

Reaching upward, Liara reluctantly took that hand, rising from her chair. Pausing, she drew away again, bending over the bio-bed and laying a soft kiss on Shepard's good cheek, before she stepped back and turned away.

As she headed for the door, Chakwas beside her, the doctor glanced at her.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't…" Liara began, then blinked, turning her head with a gasp.

Shepard was humming.

It was low, faint, but she was definitely humming, the tune familiar. It was the song that Shepard had been writing for her.

Hurrying over to her side, Liara felt the tears moving up hot and fast as she grasped Del's hand. This time, she could _feel_ the life in it.

Del's eye cracked open, and as it sought her out, Liara felt her entire body sag in relief. "Del…"

The human woman smiled slightly, that crazy lopsided grin that Liara had never thought to see again. Her voice was faint, little more than a dry rasp.

"Hey, Sky Blue…" she said weakly, prompting another sob from the asari. The hand in Liara's shifted, feebly squeezing. Shepard's tired grin never wavered.

"Guess what?" she said. "I think I finished it…"

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: DE3 is officially over! It wasn't quite as long as I was expecting it to be, I cut some things out due to brevity or simply because they were not necessary, but hopefully what remains was worth the read.

You might be asking yourself why I ended it where I did. Well, I did it so that those of you who wish to can decide for yourselves what happens afterward. I know that quite a few people like the mystery of the Reapers' true origins and purposes, and I ended the story this way so that those readers could keep that mystery.

For the rest of you who want to read MY take on the origins of the Reapers, and what actually happens at the end of the war and beyond, DE4 and DE5 will answer these questions.

DE4 follows my version of events as I imagine them, stretching from the end of the war to about 200 years or so afterward.

DE5 takes place about 300-350ish years after the end of the war, and will answer the outstanding questions: Who are the Reapers? Who made them? What was their purpose? Who created the Citadel and relay system, and what are really the consequences of having stopped the Cycle that has continued on for billions, if not trillions of years?

Whatever your choice…to stop here or continue on this journey with me…it has been an honor and a privilege to travel this path with you.

DE4 will start next week, so if you want, be sure to add me to your author's alerts so that you'll be notified the moment it comes up. It will be called Dark Energy: Aftermath.

Thank you once again, and have a wonderful weekend.


End file.
